Overconfidence
by CthulhuEXT
Summary: Keiichi loses a bet and as a result becomes Mion's slave for a week. Set after Matsuribayashi-hen. Chapter Nine.
1. Chapter 1

Note: I do not own any of the characters within this story. They are the property of _07__th__ Expansion_.

**CHAPTER ONE**

"Eh heh heh... looks like you're cornered, Kei-chan," Mion said, grinning wildly.

"Sh-shut up!" came Keiichi's retort. He was in a bad situation. He knew it well. That damn tomboy was beating him again. And the stakes were pretty high this time... damnit.

"Hauu... Keiichi-kun's in trouble," said Rena as she watched the situation. "What will he do, what will he do?"

"Oh-hohoho, Keiichi-san stands no chance against our fearless club leader!" shouted Satoko.

"Poor, poor Keiichi," mumbled Rika, as she moved over to pat Keiichi on the head. "Mii is being rough on him."

"Don't worry! Kei-chan's a man!" said Mion as she waved them off. "He can take this sorta thing. He'll be totally fine!"

_Yeah,_ thought Keiichi. _Suuuure I'll be fine. Damnit! I can't help but think this all could've been avoided if I hadn't opened up my big mouth. Well, it's too late now. Shit... gotta think. Gotta keep cool. Mion is a master of this game, I have to be careful, I can't lost anymore! Think, Maebara Keiichi. Where is she hiding at?_

He gulped and got ready.

"E... 4," he said, voice shaking, eyes shut tight.

"Miss," said Mion, calmly. "I'm afraid this is it, Kei-chan. B-8."

"DAMNIT MION!" shouted Keiichi as he stood up from his chair. "You knew I wouldn't be good at this game! You should've picked a---"

"Hang on," she said. "If I heard you correctly earlier, didn't you say you could quote unquote, 'beat me anytime, anywhere, at any game?' Correct me if I'm wrong, please."

Keiichi grumbled and sat down.

"You know," he said. "I've never even heard of this before."

"Battleship," she said. "King of simulated sea warfare! Didn't I explain this all to you earlier? Geeeez."

"Shut up," he said. "Damn foreign games. F-7."

"Miss again, Kei-chan," said Mion, grinning happily.

"Wow, Keiichi-san," said Satoko, butting in. "You really are bad at this, aintcha?"

_I just said that two seconds ago you little brat!_ he thought angrily. _No need to point it out!_

"Now now Satoko," said Mion. "You never know, he could make a comeback. But I doubt it. B-7."

"Miss," said Keiichi. "That's right, I still have one ship left, I can turn this all around!"

"Not likely," said Satoko. "Mion-san still has all of her ships. You haven't even hit ONE, and by the looks of things, she's gonna take down that last ship in no time."

"Shut up," said Keiichi. "I don't need your commentary. B-4"

"Miss," said Mion, an evil smile growing on her face. "Eh heh heh, say goodbye, Kei-chan. A-8."

"Crap," said Keiichi in disbelief. "Crapcrapcrap craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!"

"Oh-hohohoho, nice one Mion-san," said Satoko.

"Poor poor Keiichi," said Rika. "I can't stand to watch."

"Keiichi-kun, what're you going to do, going to do?" said Rena. "The punishment game this time is---"

_That's right!_ he remembered. _Goddamnit, Now I have to---_

"Wahahahahahahahaha, better luck next time Kei-chan," Mion said. "Now, the punishment game we agreed on was 'the loser must serve the winner as a slave for a week,' correct?"

"Correct," grumbled Keiichi.

"That mean's you're my slave now, Kei-chan," said Mion, the grin still not off her face. "And guess what your first task is?"

------------------------------

Keiichi's arms were growing tired from all the extra weight. He had a schoolbag in each hand, and another on his back. As he walked, he leaned from side to side, struggling to keep his balance.

"Mii-chan," said Rena, sadly. "I can understand making him carry your bag, but mine as well? Don't you think you're being rough on Keiichi-kun?"

"Wahahahaha, like I said earlier Rena, Kei-chan's a man," replied Mion. "He can handle it."

_That's what you think Mion,_ thought Keiichi angrily. _I'm going to get you back for this, I swear. Argh, my back, I can feel it collapsing! Rena, help me out here! Please!_

"I suppose so," said Rena softly. "As long as Keiichi-kun has no problems with it."

"Nope, no problem," said Keiichi, clenching his teeth. "Anything to bring a smile to your face."

"Ha-Hauu... Keiichi-kun..." squeaked Rena.

_Man, she is too easy sometimes,_ thought Keiichi. _Eh heh heh, at least one thing brought a smile to my face. Now I only have... _Her_, to deal with._

He looked at Mion, who certainly looked very pleased with herself as she strode along, hands on the back of her head. He clicked his mouth, and looked over at Rena, who stared back with a look of worry in her eyes.

"Say, Kei-chan," said Mion, still not looking back at him. "Ya know what this old man would like?"

Keiichi grumbled. "What?"

"A nice healthy lunch," she said. "You would be nice to enough to make me one tomorrow, right?"

_Goddamnit,_ he thought. _I swear I'll get you back for this, Mion!_

"Fine fine," he said, still clenching his teeth. "Don't blame me if it turns out bad though. I'm not a very good cook."

"Oh, is that so?" said Mion, tauntingly. "Then I suppose I could settle for your mother's cooking instead, wahahaha."

"Hey!" Keiichi shouted. "I'm not going to ask my mom to make lunch for you!"

"Then don't," she replied. "Say it's for you."

"Tch. Fine. I hope you enjoy it," he said bitterly.

"Mii-chan, don't you think you should let Keiichi-kun eat?" asked Rena, quietly.

"How many times do I have to say it, Kei-chan's a man," replied Mion proudly. "He can handle it."

_I'm a growing boy, I need all the food I can get,_ Keiichi thought at her. _I don't need this from you, tch, damnit._

Soon enough they approached the windmill, still turning like it did everyday. An uninteresting sight. Keiichi heaved, and handed Rena's bag over to her.

"Here... you... go... phew," he panted.

"Th-thank you... Keiichi-kun," she said softly.

"Oi oi!" said Mion, butting in. "You have to carry my bag all the way to my house, so don't you go anywhere."

"D-damnit Mion!" he said as he turned to her. "I gotta get home, ya know!"

"Go home later then," she replied quickly. "You can explain it all to your parents, can't you?"

"Damn you," he said. "Damn you so much."

------------------------------

Keiichi dropped Mion's bag on the floor before kneeling over and panting. This was the second time he went round to Mion's house, and it was certainly still as impressive as last time.

"Huuu... Huu... there we... go..." he said, wiping his forehead. "Can I, can I go home now?"

"Nope," Mion said dismissively. "You've got a buttload of chores to do, Kei-chan."

"Wh-wh-what?" he said, standing up straight. "But I have to---"

"Go home? Too bad," she interrupted. "You're still my slave. You can call home to say you'll be late if you want."

Keiichi clenched his fists angrily, before calming down.

"Fine," he said. "You know I'm going to get you back for all this, right?"

"Oh, I'm sure," she replied, smiling brightly. "Come on."

------------------------------

Grumbling, Keiichi finished washing the last of the dishes. He sighed and dried off his hands before wandering around the room.

_This place is huge,_ he thought to himself. _Why on earth do they make a deal out of my house being big, compared to this colossal place?_

He eventually stopped in front of a shelf with a lot of plates on it. Curious, he picked one up and looked at it, turning it over in his hands occasionally. Satisfied, he put it back and continued pacing aimlessly.

_I wonder where Mion is._ he eventually began to wonder. _Well, so long as she isn't bossing me around, I'm glad, I guess. Nice place she has here, I wonder why she doesn't invite me round more often? Last time I was here, I didn't get to see much, cause of that whole business with Rika._

He straightened out his shoulders and started to wait.

_Tch. What is that girl up to?_

------------------------------

Mion was sitting on her bed with her knees hugged to her face. She had been like this for several minutes, trying to take in the situation she was in.

_I can't believe I did it,_ she thought to herself. _I have Kei-chan right where I want him. I can make him do anything. Anything. He is completely under my control._

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

_And yet,_ she continued. _I'm too scared to go back there. He's the one that should be scared of me! Damn. This is what I've wanted for weeks now, and now that I finally got it, I can't do a thing! Damnit! Damn damn damn..._

She slapped her face, and sat up.

_Okay,_ she thought. _This is it, Sonozaki Mion. You're going to go down there right now, and show him whose boss. Don't let anything stop you. Go! Go! Go!_

She tore out of her bed and marched through her house over to the kitchen, where Keiichi was standing, looking dumbfounded at something on the floor. He looked over at her with a scared look on his face when he heard her coming.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I broke one of your plates. I was just looking at it, and---"

"Kei-chan," she said, disappointed. "How can I trust you to be a good servant when you go and do something like this? Honestly."

"I'm sorry!" he said quickly. "I'll pay for it! I swear!"

"You better," she said. "Those are grandma's favourites. She's gonna be pissed when she hears about this."

He bowed quickly. "Sorry!"

"Geez, I get it Kei-chan," she said. "You don't need to apologise _that_ much."

"Well I," he started. "I didn't think it would--- I mean it just slipped and I---"

She gave a big pat on the back. "Don't worry about it! Just pay up tomorrow and everything will be okay, got it?"

"Y-yeah, okay," he said. "Uh, how much was it, may I ask?"

------------------------------

Keiichi finally started to leave for home, giving a wave back as he walked off.

"Don't forgot!" shouted Mion. "Lunch and money for the plate tomorrow!"

"I won't!" he shouted back. "Geez!"

"Just checking!" she replied, before disappearing back into her house.

_Well,_ thought Keiichi as he continued to walk down the path. _That wasn't too bad. I might actually end up enjoying this, hahaha._

He kicked the dirt as soon as that thought entered his mind,

_What on earth are you thinking, Maebara Keiichi?_ he scolded himself. _She's gonna work you like a dog! She's the _enemy_! And you need to get her back someday!_

He straightened up, a determined look in his eyes.

_Alright! Time to get ready, you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow!_

------------------------------

Mion lay down on her bed, thinking.

_Tomorrow... what can I make Kei-chan do for me?_ she thought. _Anything I want him to... anything..._


	2. Chapter 2

Note: I do not own any of the characters within this story. They are the property of _07__th__ Expansion_.

**CHAPTER TWO**

"Keiichi-kun, Good Morning!" shouted Rena as she waved from afar.

"Morning, Rena," Keiichi replied.

"Was Mii-chan mean to you yesterday? Was she?" she asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

He gave her a thumbs up. "Nothing I couldn't take."

"That's good," she sighed. "Rena was worried about you..."

"Hehehehe! No need to worry!" he said proudly. "I'm perfectly fine!"

"It's just, you know, sometimes Mii-chan can be so mean... so..." she mumbled.

_Sometimes?_ thought Keiichi. _Now THERE'S a laugh._

"Hmmmm... I suppose so. Hey, there she is now," he said as he pointed off in the distance.

Mion waved to them from the windmill. "Heya guys! Kei-chan, you ready for today?"

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled. "I'm ready. I'm always ready."

"That's good," she said. "Because today, you're going to LOSE today's club activities!"

Keiichi's heart jumped at her statement. "N-n-n-now hang on! Isn't that abusing your power just a little!?"

"Mii-chan!" said Rena, firmly. "At least let Keiichi-kun have a chance..."

"Y-yeah!" he said. "This is just unfair! You can't---"

"Enough!" shouted Mion, interrupting. "I've already decided. Besides, it's not like it's a huge change from normal, right?"

"Sh-shut up!" he said. "Fine! But just you remember, when I'm done with you, you'll wish you were dead! You hear me!? You'll wish you were DEAD!"

"Ahahahahahaha, I'm sure, I'm sure," she said as she patted him on the back some more. "But that's not today, unfortunately for you."

"Tch. Unfortunately," he said, turning his face away.

"Hauu..." said Rena softly.

------------------------------

It was lunch time, and the club had gathered around their usual table, ready to eat. Or at least, everyone but Keiichi was ready to eat. His lunch sat in front of Mion, who smiled proudly at him. He grumbled and lay his head down in his arms on the surface of the table.

"Ch-cheer up, Keiichi-kun," said Rena. "It could be worse, couldn't it? Couldn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah I suppose so," he grumbled miserably.

Rika walked over to him and patted him on the head. "Pity pity, poor Keiichi."

"Thanks, Rika-chan," he said, head still hidden in his arms. "That means a lot to me."

"Nipah!" she smiled back at him. "Mii is being awfully mean."

Mion didn't reply, she was too busy stuffing her face with Keiichi's lunch.

"Oh-hohoho, it seems the peasant is getting a taste of his own medicine," giggled Satoko happily. "I was STARVING last week."

_Yeah, shut up, little brat,_ he thought bitterly. _You just ended up eating Rika-chan's lunch anyway!_

Mion gulped down another bite of Keiichi's lunch and started to speak. "Kei-chan, give your mother my compliments. This is one terrific lunch."

"Shut up," he said.

"Oh yeah, Kei-chan, you still owe me by the way," she said.

"Owe?" asked Rena. "What does Keiichi-kun owe Mii-chan, I wonder? I wonder?"

"Shoot, I forgot," said Keiichi. "Money to replace something I broke at her house."

"Hah! Not only stinky, but a clumsy peasant too!" shouted Satoko.

_Oh that does it,_ thought Keiichi angrily. He tore out his seat and started to chase after Satoko, who had already started running. Blinded by rage, he was unable to see the incoming trap Satoko had just led him right in to. He tripped over a jump rope tied between tables, and landed face first on a pad of ink.

"Gack! S-Satooookooooo! I'll get you for this!" he shouted angrily.

"Oh-hohoho! The smelly, clumsy peasant should just lie down where he is," said Satoko, as she jumped for joy. "Hey look! He's filthy now too! A smelly, clumsy, filthy peasant."

_Why do I even hang around you guys?_ thought Keiichi sadly.

------------------------------

Keiichi laid down his cards on the table.

"Look, I lose again," he said with boredom in his voice.

"Wow, Keiichi-san," said Satoko, as she fanned herself with her own cards. "You're really bad at this today."

"Yeah, yeah I suppose I am," he said, rather melancholy. "Oh look, I'm in last place."

"Yup," said Mion. "That means you get today's punishment game, wahahahaha."

"What a surprise," he said, without a trace of emotion in his voice. "Oh well."

He stood and watched as the others finished playing, until only Mion was left.

"Amazing, Mii-chan," said Rena, amazed.

"Mii played perfectly today, nipah!" said Rika.

"Unlike Keiichi-san over here, oh-hohoho," laughed Satoko.

_Shut up, I hate you all,_ thought Keiichi.

Mion coughed and stood up. "Well, as today's winner," she began. "I guess it should be only fair if I decided upon the punishment game."

_Obviously,_ thought Keiichi. _Just get on with it!_

"As you all know, Kei-chan is working as my servant for all of this week," she said. "But he's missing a certain... something. And I figured out what it is!"

_Oh no..._ he thought, getting worried. _She's not---_

"That's why for today's punishment game, we will take Keiichi to the Coach to determine a _fitting_ outfit for him to wear. Eh? Eh?" she said as she nudged Keiichi in his ribs.

"Damnit Mion!" he shouted as he ran over to her. "As if being forced to do whatever you want, now you're making me wear one of _his_ outfits? You're low, you know that, right?"

"Oh come on, Kei-chan," she said giggling. "It's all in the name of fun."

"Fun for you maybe," he said. "The villagers all think I'm some kind of weirdo, cause of all the costumes you make me wear all the time!"

"Just a consequence of your overconfidence, eh heh heh," she replied.

"Besides Keiichi," said Rika. "You ARE some kind of weirdo! Nipah!"

_Hang on,_ thought Keiichi. _What on earth makes you say that? What the hell kind of opinion do you guys have of me?_

"Cheer up, Keiichi-kun," said Rena. "At least you'll look _kyuute_. So _kyuute_ that... hauu! _I want to take _Maid Keiichi-kun_ hooooome!_"

"Sorry Rena," said Mion. "We already decided Keiichi was my servant."

"But, but..." said Rena, sadly. "He'll be so kyuute..."

------------------------------

"You know," said Keiichi. "I don't always feel comfortable around this guy. I mean, well, you know."

"Yeah," said Satoko. "Coach always tries to make me wear maid costumes, he scares me sometimes."

Keiichi shuffled his feet as they continued to wait for Irie, the Coach. They were in the village's local clinic, in the waiting room. They had called for him about fifteen minutes ago, and he was taking a while to show up. Keiichi and Satoko sat down on the benches provided, Mion was walking around, reading some comics, and Rena was trying to take Rika home over by a potted plant.

"Oi! Mion!" called out Keiichi. "What's the Coach doing that's taking so long?"

"I heard Shion came by a while ago," she replied. "They're doing that thing she comes by for every week."

"And what is that?" he asked.

"Sorry," said Mion, smiling. "Secret."

"She's not... _with him_!?" he said, shocked.

"Wahahahahahaha, no, nothing like that," she replied.

"Oh... phew, thank god," he said, calming down. "For a second I thought---"

"Thought what?" asked Satoko, barging into the middle of the conversation.

"Nothing, don't worry about it," said Keiichi.

Satoko grumbled, and lay back down in her seat. Keiichi yawned, and closed his eyes. Rika squeaked as Rena grabbed her and started to drag her out of the clinic, but Keiichi paid no mind as he started to doze off. Mion stopped pacing, and looked up at him, an evil smiling dragging itself across her face. She walked over and nudged Satoko, pointing at Keiichi. An equally evil smile appeared upon her face as well.

------------------------------

"Oi! Slave! Wake up!" came a voice. Keiichi slowly opened his eyes to see Mion inches away from his face. He yawned, and scratched at one of his eyes.

"Coach here yet?" he asked, groggily.

"Yeah, come on!" she said, as she started to walk over to the front desk, where, sure enough, Irie was standing.

"Huh? Maebara-san?" Irie said, questioningly. "What is that on your fa---"

Mion gave him a glare, and Irie stopped speaking immediately.

"Hmmm? What is it?" asked Keiichi.

Irie shook his head. "Never mind, nothing. Now, what is it you came here for?"

"Yeah Kei-chan," said Mion teasingly. "Tell him."

Keiichi turned round and made a fist. "Damnit Mion! I'm not going to say it!"

"But you have to," she said, sticking her tongue out. "You have to do whatever I say, remember?"

Keiichi tightened his fists, then relaxed. "Coach," he said, turning round. "I need to uh, borrow one of your maid outfits. For a punishment game."

Irie's face lit up immediately, and Keiichi regretted saying anything. Suddenly, Irie grabbed him by the arm.

"Right this way, Maebara-saaaaaaaan," he said, dreamily, dragging Keiichi off elsewhere.

"Noooo! Noooooooo! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" shouted Keiichi in despair, as he disappeared to parts unknown.

Mion grabbed her stomach and started laughing at him. "Have fun, Kei-chan!"

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN YOOOOOOOOOOU MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOOON!"

------------------------------

"Miiiiiiii! Help me Satoko!" Rika shouted, struggling to get free.

"HAUU! Rika-chan is mine to take home now, mine mine!" said Rena, as she held Rika over her shadow. "Satoko-chan can't have her, Rika-chan is mine! Hauu!"

Satoko was running as fast as she could, arms outstretched. "Rena-san! Put Rika down! Kidnapping's a crime!"

------------------------------

"Where did everyone else go anyway?" asked Keiichi.

"Rena ran outside with Rika-chan in hand," said Mion. "Then Satoko followed them."

"Well, at least it means they won't see me like this," said Keiichi, as he looked down at the embarrassing outfit he was wearing now.

"Ahahahahaha, that's too bad," said Mion, laughing at his predicament. "I would have loved to see Rena try to take you home. Not that I'd let her, but still."

Keiichi tutted in response. _Goddamnit I hate you so much sometimes, Mion,_ he thought to himself. _My revenge is going to be long and cruel; you can count on that, little miss club president. LONG, and CRUEL!_

"I take it you're forcing me to go over to your house again today," he said, matter of factly. "I already told my parents I would be home late again today. And the day after. And the day after that. You get the picture."

"Yep, I certainly do!" Mion said. "We're going to be spending a _lot_ of time together, you and me. Let's just hope you can keep up with this old man's orders, bweheheheh."

_Let's hope you don't find a dagger in your back tonight,_ Keiichi thought in response. _One laced with poison. The deadliest poison on the earth._

------------------------------

Keiichi sighed as he found himself dusting Mion's house from head to toe. He had been at this for about an hour now, and he didn't think he was anywhere close to being done. And if that wasn't bad enough, Mion was standing over his shoulder, barking orders at him. 'You missed a spot!' 'Dust faster!' 'Work harder!' It was getting rather tiring.

"Say Mion," he said, panting heavily. "Why don't we... why don't we take a breath... I'm tired."

"Unacceptable!" she shouted as she pushed him over.

Keiichi tumbled headfirst into a drawer. "H-hey!" he shouted as he got back up, rubbing his head. "You can't do that!"

"I'm your master," she said with a smirk. "I can do anything."

"Don't you think you're taking this a little far," he said, clenching his teeth. "You can't work me like this! There have to be laws or something."

"No laws I ever heard of," she said as she stuck a finger in her ear. "You must be dreaming again."

"Still though," he said. "I'm taking a break; I don't care what you say."

"Tch, fine, Kei-chan," she said. "But keep in mind I'm going to work you EXTRA-hard later to make up for all the work you're not doing now!"

"Fine fine, I'll keep it in mind. Geez," he said. "I need to cool down; you got any comics I can read?"

"Yeah, yeah, follow me," she said, waving him on.

Keiichi stretched, dusted off his skirt, and followed Mion into one of the rooms he hadn't been in yet.

_Oh geez,_ he thought as he saw the state of the place. _This place is a mess. Of course this has to be Mion's room. Man, how can she live in such a dump?_

Mion was digging through a pile of junk on the floor until she came upon a small pile of comics.

"Here you go," she said as she tossed them to him. "Enjoy."

Keiichi caught them, and flipped through the pile, seeing what there was to read.

_Funny,_ he thought. _This is exactly what I'd imagine she would be reading. What the hell, is this one porn? Man, maybe NOT exactly. I think I'll go for this one._

"Hey," he said as he waved his choice over his head. "Is there I place I can uh---"

"Sit on the bed," she said, still digging through the junk on her floor. "Plenty of room there."

Keiichi shrugged, made his way through all the crap on her floor, and sat down on her bed, which was rather difficult to do with the poofy dress Irie made him wear. He opened the comic and started to read, passing the time. After a while, Mion picked out something too and joined him on the bed.

"This is a good one," he said, not tearing his eyes away from the book. "Haven't read it before."

"Yeah, that's one of my favourites," she replied. "Tch, I wish I was reading that one instead of this junk. Actually, you're my slave, give it to me."

"Damnit Mion!" he said angrily. Ticked off, he traded comics with her, coming up with... something.

"What the hell is this?" he asked. "This is just--- what the hell?"

"I know," she said. "I thought it was funny."

Keiichi put the comic down and stared up at the ceiling, getting bored again. Yawning, he took a look around her room, before his eyes settled upon something on her bed.

_Isn't that..._ he thought, looking closer. _Isn't that the doll I gave Mion a while back? After the club activity at that store? She keeps it on her bed, huh?_

Mion looked up from her comic, and yawned. Looking over at him, she realised Keiichi was staring intensely at something. She followed his gaze--- and her face turned a deep red.

"Ah... aaaaaah---" was all she managed to get out. Keiichi looked back over at her. She gulped.


	3. Chapter 3

Note: I do not own any of the characters within this story. They are the property of _07__th__ Expansion_.

I had a hard time writing one of the scenes in this chapter. It greatly disturbed me--- and I was the one writing it!

**CHAPTER THREE**

"Ahhhh! Aaaaaaaahhhh--- Ke-Ke-Ke-Kei-chan!" Mion stammered, looking at the doll lying on her bed. "Th-th-th-th-th---"

"Yes?" he said quietly.

"Tha-tha, uh... that's not what you think."

"Oh?" he said. "And just what DO I think?"

"I-I-I I don't knoooow---" she said in a hurry. "It's just, just---"

"Heh, you really are a girl," he said. "You don't have to hide it all the time."

"Ou-ou-out! Out of my room please!" she said, pointing at the door. Keiichi gave her a nod, and walked out of the room.

_Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no..._ thought Mion rapidly. _Shit, I can't believe he saw it, why did I forget, damnit damnit damnit!_

She put her head in her hands and sat back down on the bed.

_Oh god, I've never been so embarrassed,_ she thought to herself sadly. _That stupid guy. Why did you have to go and give me that stupid doll in the first place!? Damnit, I'm going to mess you up good!_

------------------------------

_Bwahahahahahahaha, oh man,_ thought Keiichi as he collapsed outside the door. _Priceless. Ahhhh... who would've thought Mion would be so self-conscious about something like that? This is just step one of my revenge, Mion! Only a taste of what is to come. You are going to regret the day you messed with MAEBARA KEIICHI!_

He stood back up with a fierce determination.

_YOU HEAR ME!? DO YOU HEAR ME!?_

------------------------------

Mion opened the door to her room, fuelled by rage, ready to take it all out on that stupid little boy. She spotted him snickering by the door.

"Oh Keiiiiichiiiii," she said in the sweetest voice she could.

He straightened up and looked back at her.

"Oh, hello, Mion-_chan_," he said, putting emphasis on the honorific.

Mion took a step back in shock. _C-calm down,_ she told herself. _You can get through this. You can beat him._

She straightened herself out. "Yes my dear little maid," she said in a deliciously evil voice. "I need you to do something for me."

"Oh? And what is that, Mion-chan?" he said, cocking his head to the side innocently.

"Well..." she started.

_Alright old man!_ she said to herself. _Let him have it! Don't hold back!_

"My feet," she said. "They've been aching _all day,_ I was wondering if you could help me a bit, little maid."

"Wa-wait," stammered Keiichi, a horrified look on his face. "What are you trying to say?"

"Massage them," she said. "Till they feel all better."

"Ah..." he stammered. "Ah---haha... ahahahaha... AHAHAHAHAHA... oh, oh oh, you're kidding, right?"

She gave him her best smile, not aware of just how hard she was blushing.

"D-damnit..." he said, his head hanging low."You will pay for this. One day. Mark my words."

"You've said that so many times, it's getting a little old, Kei-chan."

------------------------------

Keiichi gulped. This was not one of the most pleasant moments of his life. Mion had her hands behind her head and was lying back in a nice comfy seat. He was crouched on the ground with her bare feet right in front of his face. He cursed under his breath, and moved his hands closer to her feet.

"Geez, hurry up Kei-chan!" said Mion, rather impatient.

"SHUT UP!" he snapped back. "Man, you have no idea just what this is like."

"I have a pretty idea of when it's _taking too long_," she said back at him. "My feet ache sooooo much, Kei-chan, won't you help me?"

Keiichi clicked his mouth in response. He turned his head away, and continued to reach forward...

------------------------------

"Ahhhh... ooooo," moaned Mion as Keiichi rubbed her feet. "Mmmmmm, eheheheh, you enjoying this?"

"No," he said. "I'm not."

"Oh! That tickles, hahahaha"

------------------------------

Keiichi found himself dusting the rest of her house once again, silently wishing for a jumbo jet or something to crash into it just so he could die and be free from all this torment. Of course, there was no chance that would happen, so he just had to deal with it.

_Damnit,_ he thought to himself. _I could've sworn that would have worked - but she barely flinched. Shit, I need a new plan to get back at her._

He stood up and wiped the sweat off of his forehead, before going back to dusting the large shelf in front of him.

_Mion must have other weak points,_ he thought. _I just need to know what they are. Think, think Maebara Keiichi! What else could she be vulnerable to? Damnit--- maybe one of the others will know. Tch, like hell they would tell me though. Or wait, actually--- I know someone who will!_

He stood up straight again and started rubbing his hands with glee.

_Shion loves to get at Mion,_ he remembered. _She'd be willing to tell me, after all, there's nothing better than teasing Sis, right? Hahahahaha, just you wait, Mion! I'll have a new weapon tomorrow! You better be prepared! Ahahahahahahahaha... wait. I don't know Shion's phone number._

He scratched his head, aware of the predicament he was now in.

_Mion's not going to let me go anywhere at all this week, so I can't just drop by Angel Mort,_ he said to himself. _Mion probably won't tell me her phone number either; she always seems to get pissed whenever I bring up Shion. That means---_

He took a quick look around.

_That I have to search this house for her phone number!_ he realised. _Tch, and I can't let Mion know what I'm up to. Well, so long as I pretend that I'm still dusting, I should be fine. Alright, where's the phone?_

He took a step out of the room and walked into the hallway.

_I know it was in one of these hallways somewhere..._

He walked down the hall, dusting one of the walls as he went along, glancing back and forth, seeing if he could spot the little desk with the phone on top of it. He turned a corner and saw it in the distance. He quickly looked back and forth to see if Mion was around--- she wasn't. Seizing his chance, he ran over to the phone, and dusted it off a bit. Glancing around quickly again, he opened up one of the drawers on the desk to reveal a pile of papers.

_Crap,_ he thought to himself. _This is going to take me forever._

He dug into the drawer and looked at all the papers, trying to see if he could see any familiar names.

_Nope, nope, nuh uh, nope, not it, definitely not it, nope,_ he thought to himself as he checked paper after paper. Frustrated, he dumped them all back in the drawer, shut it tight, and continued dusting.

------------------------------

"How's it coming along, Kei-chan?" said Mion as she walked into the bathroom.

"Oi!" he said, putting the feather duster by his hip. "Knock before you enter, what if I was going number two?"

"Then I certainly would've had a sight to see, eh heh heh," came her response.

"Ugh, you're sick, you know that right?" he said.

"Pretty much," she said, hands on the back of her head. "Oh well, whatcha going to do?"

"Tell your grandmother about you," he said. "She certainly wouldn't enjoy hearing half the things you do to us, hahahaha."

"Is that so?" she said in response. "I wouldn't be too sure about that, she's a real demon herself."

"Figures," he said. "It runs in the family."

Mion smacked him round the back of the head. "Less talking, more working!"

"He-hey!" he shouted, rubbing the back of his head. "You don't have to HIT me! God!"

"Apparently, yes, yes I do, now get back to work, little maid," she said.

Keiichi grumbled and went back to dusting off the counter.

"Shouldn't I have the proper cleaning tools for this? I mean, what's a feather duster going to---- oh crap," he said, as he smacked himself on the forehead.

"That's a good point, Kei-chan," she said, smiling widely. "There's a bunch of cleaning supplies in the drawer under the sink, help yourself. And I want to see my face shine in that toilet once you're done!"

------------------------------

Keiichi collapsed after finally rinsing out the tub.

"Phew... all... done," he said, panting.

Mion walked over to the bathtub, bent over, and dragged her finger a little bit around the rim. She brought the finger close to her face and inspected it.

"It'll do," she said, exasperated. "For now."

"Can I... can I take off this dress?" he asked. "It's so damn heavy, I feel like I'm going to collapse."

"Nope, sorry," she said in response.

"Damn you... damn you Mion... phew," he said.

Keiichi lay down on his back to catch his breath and stared at the ceiling, wondering about something. After a while, he sat back up.

"Mion," he said. "I just realised something."

"Hmm? What is it, Kei-chan?" she asked.

"The day I gave you that doll, we never finished that game," he said. "We were supposed to have a rematch, but we never did."

"Hmmm, you're right," she said. "What, you want a rematch now?"

"No, too tired for that," he said. "I just thought it was odd, you never let stuff like that slip, especially not for this long."

"Maybe..." she said softly. "Maybe I already liked the way it ended."

Keiichi was confused. "Huh? Whaddya mean by that?"

"Nothing," she said. "Alright, we'll have the rematch some other time. But only after all of this, bwahahahaha."

"He-hey! Tch, fine," he said. "Just to let you know, I'm going to win."

"Oh?" she said. "You sound a little overconfident. And we all know what happened last time you were like that, wahahahahaha."

"Sh-shut up you!" he said. "I was just... unprepared. That's all! You're going down, you here me? You're going _down!_"

"Ahahahaha, we'll have to see about that," she said with a smile on her face.

"Heh," said Keiichi, with a smirk on his face. "I'll show you the true power of a man, just you wait. I was overconfident last time, but we'll be on a more even playing field next time."

"I think," said Mion. "A more even playing field would be one without me in it."

"Now just who here is being overconfident?" said Keiichi.

------------------------------

"I think you're done for the day," said Mion. "You can go home now."

"Thanks," said Keiichi, as he stood up. "Uh... can I take this thing off?"

"Nope, not till you get home, hahaha," she replied.

"Tch. I knew you were going to say that. Damnit, now the whole village is going to see me like this!" he protested.

"Nothing they haven't seen before, hahaha," she laughed.

"Sh-shut up!" he said. "That's only because of you guys, the whole village thinks I'm some weird nasty pervert..."

Mion slapped him on the back. "Come on, take it like a man! You know better than that!"

"Gee, thanks," he grumbled. "I feel _so_ much better."

"Oi," she said. "That's no way to talk to your master. You should show a lot more obedience!"

"Oh, _sorry_, Sonozaki-sama," he said, bowing before her, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I guess I should _really_ learn my place, huh?"

"That's right," she said with a smirk. "Now off you go, little maid."

He bowed before her one more time, before walking off in the direction of his house. Mion stood there and watched him go; only heading back inside when he was out of sight.

_Whew, today was... eventful,_ she thought to herself as she shut the door behind her. _That was close though, earlier with the doll. He didn't realise the reason I kept it... was because I got it from him._

------------------------------

Keiichi made sure to shut the front door behind him as quietly as possible. If his dad saw him dressed like this... he would never live it down. Last time, he became the subject of one of his eerie paintings; he didn't want to live through that again.

Carefully, he crept up the stairs, trying not to make any noise. His bedroom was in sight, he was almost there! Al...most... thereeeee----

And he made it inside. He shut his door behind and breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing his luck, he was _sure_ his dad would show up at just the wrong moment. Fate seemed to be giving him a break.

Without waiting a beat, he tore off that damned maid costume and changed into something more... normal. Worn out, he fell down onto his back.

_Damnit,_ he realised. _I didn't get a chance to talk to Shion. How am I supposed to get back at Mion now?_

Cursing himself, he got back up and headed out of his room to greet the rest of his family.

------------------------------

"Keiichi-kun, are you okay?" asked Rena, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just worn out is all," said Keiichi. "Mion is a helluva hard worker."

"That's no good, Keiichi-kun," she said. "You need to be careful. Otherwise..."

"Hah, don't worry," he said, hand on his heart. "I haven't given up yet!"

"Wow," said Rena. "You're tougher than I thought, than I thought."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he snapped back, angrily?

"What, I wonder? What I wonder?" she giggled. "By the way, whatever happened to your _kyuute_ maid outfit?"

Keiichi saw a troubling look in his eyes. "Uh... I don't know. Maybe we'll never see it again."

"Awwww," she muttered, disappointed. "Rena wanted to take maid Keiichi-kun home..."

_Phew,_ he thought to himself. _Not something I want to experience._

They stopped walking by the windmill.

"Hey," said Keiichi. "Shouldn't Mion be here by now?"

"Where is Mii-chan, I wonder, I wonder?" said Rena. "Keiichi-kun didn't do anything bad to Mii-chan yesterday, right? Right?"

"Uh... I don't think so," he said.

_I don't think I did anyway,_ he thought to himself. _I mean unless she's still embarrassed about that doll thing. I didn't think she was that affected by it. Hmmmm... maybe I do have a weapon after all... heheheheh---_

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late!" shouted Mion as she ran up to them.

_D-damnit!_ pouted Keiichi. _She's fine. Tch._

Mion ran up to the pair, out of breathed. "Heh... sorry guys... phew. I woke up late, heheh. I must be getting pretty old, no?"

"Sure, sure, whatever," said Keiichi dismissively. "Do you know how long we've been wating?"

"But Keiichi-kun," started Rena. "We've only been here for---"

"Shh," interrupted Keiichi. "You should show us just how sorry we are?"

"Oh?" said Mion. "And why should I do that? After all, you're nothing more than my slave now, hahaha."

_Goddamnit,_ thought Keiichi. _I wish I never took her up on that stupid board game. Now she thinks she has the right to bully me all the time. Damnit---_

"Fine," he said. "You're off the hook, for now."

"For now?" she said. "I don't think I was ever on the hook. After all, you have no right to speak out against me, not when I _own_ you."

"O-own me?" he said, surprised. "Aren't you exaggerating things _just_ a bit?"

"Nope," she said, without a blink. "Not at all. These are the terms we agreed to."

"Mii-chan," said Rena, quietly. "Give Keiichi-kun a break, you've been working him too hard."

"Meh," said Mion as she shrugged her shoulders. "I can't have him over tonight anyway. Me and Grandma have some important stuff to talk about."

"Wha--- really?" said Keiichi. "Alright! No more needing to work my ass off, whew."

"Hold on," said Mion. "I didn't say you were getting a day off."

"Wh-what?" he said, disappointed. "Damnit Mion!"

"Nope," she said with a smirk. "Instead, I'll be putting you into the care of someone else, for the time being."

Rena's eyes light up at the possibility of being able to take Keiichi home. Now, Mion only had to say the word---

"Satoko and Rika have been having a hard time lately," said Mion. "I'll need you to look after them today, alright?"

"What!?" shouted Keiichi. "Goddamnit, Satoko is going to be worse than you! Crap, she's never going to let me live this down. Damn you so much, Mion."

Mion simply smiled in response.

"Hauu..." said Rena, sadly. "I'm never going to take Keiichi-kun home..."


	4. Chapter 4

Note: I do not own any of the characters within this story. They are the property of _07__th__ Expansion_.

It seems some people are expecting this to turn violent at some point. It won't. This takes place after the series has finished, so everything has been dealt with.

**CHAPTER FOUR**

"Keiichi-san? My slave?" said Satoko, grinning wildly. "Why, I would be delighted. Thank you, Mion-san."

"No problem," said Mion. "Glad to see you so willing to take him. He's just been so disobedient lately, I haven't the faintest clue what to do. If only he could be straightened out..."

"Leave to me, Mion-san," said Satoko, with a salute. "I'll make sure Keiichi-san is a very obedient slave by the end of the day."

"Thank you so much, Satoko," said Mion. "I knew I could count on you."

_All right, I've had enough._

"You know," said Keiichi, head resting on his desk. "I can hear you two."

"Then you know just how disappointed I am with you!" snapped Mion. "I mean, honestly. It's like you don't know what being a slave is all about!"

"Whatever," said Keiichi, as he rolled his head over to the side. "Satoko, that trap this morning really hurt."

"Oh-hohoho, you should be more wary of your surroundings then!" replied Satoko. "I mean, that was one of my most obvious ones yet."

"Shut up," said Keiichi. "I'm tired, leave me alone."

"Oh, but I have _so_ much for you to do, Keiichi-san," said Satoko. "So, so much, heheheh."

_These girls are demons,_ thought Keiichi. _I'm only sure of this more and more every day._

"Poor poor Keiichi," said Rika, as she waddled over to pat Keiichi on the head. "He's been overworked, pity pity."

"Thanks, Rika-chan," said Keiichi. "You sure do know how to make a guy feel better, heh."

Rika smiled. "Nipah!"

Keiichi thought for a moment, then spoke. "Rika-chan, you're not going to let me off easy today either, are you?"

"Nope," she said, smiling. "I'm a big fat meanie, nipah!"

"Thought as much," he muttered, before rolling his head over again.

_Ch. I'm gonna get worked like a damned dog!_ he thought to himself. _I desperately need to find some way of striking back before it's too late!_

"Kei-chan," said Mion. "Why didn't you wear your maid outfit today?"

"Huh!?" he said loudly, sitting up straight. "Like hell I'd wear that again!"

"You were supposed to," she said in a huff. "Geez, Kei-chan. You really are bad at your job, you can't even wear the right clothes."

"A-are you insane!?" he said. "There's no way I'm wearing... _that_, again. Ever."

"That's what you think," she replied. "But you still have to do whatever I say, heheh. And I say - wear that maid outfit to school tomorrow."

"Come on, Keiichi-san," said Satoko. "I never got to see you in it. Hang on, that reminds me, did you ever notice what we did to you yesterday?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" he said.

Satoko giggled. "Oh, nothing," she said.

"We drew a pair of glasses on your face," said Mion. "Looks like you washed it right off without ever noticing it - didn't your parents say anything?"

"You did WHAT!?" he shouted. "When was that!?"

"When you fell asleep at the clinic." she replied. "Shame you never noticed."

"You, you guys," he said. "Honestly, you're so childish."

"Wahaha, I suppose we are," said Mion.

"I still am a child, you know!" said Satoko.

"Didn't your mom or dad say anything about it?" asked Mion.

"No, they didn't. Although now that I think about it... Dad sure was laughing a lot. Kuh, that bastard!" he said angrily. "He knew all along and didn't tell me."

"Mii! Look look!" said Rika, excited. "You can still see it a little, nipah."

Keiichi gave them an angry look, licked his thumb, and rubbed it around his eyes.

"Still there, nipah," said Rika with a smile.

He tried again, harder this time.

"Better," she said. "Poor Keiichi, always getting picked on."

"Heh, I'm used to it now," said Keiichi. "Although I still have to wonder why two certain ladies still haven't grown up yet, humph."

"Oi, oi!" said Mion. "That's no way to talk about your master!"

"Whatever," he said. "Say, where's Rena anyway?"

"Rena-san saw something outside," said Satoko. "Then she went to go take it home."

"That girl," said Keiichi, rubbing his forehead. "Honestly."

"Actually," said Rika. "She's using the bathroom."

"Hmmmm?" murmured Keiichi.

"Er," said Mion. "Wasn't she fetching something from her locker?"

"Huh?" said Keiichi, confused. "Well, which one is it? Where is she?"

"Outside," said Satoko.

"Bathroom," said Rika.

"Right over there by the lockers," said Mion as she pointed.

Keiichi turned to look over by the locker, where Rena certainly wasn't, when he felt something touch his back.

"Oi!" he said, standing up. "That was a dirty trick!"

Then, he felt a sharp pain in his behind. He sharply turned round to see Rika looking up at him with an innocent face.

"Ri-Rika-chan, did you just kick me?" he asked, bewildered. "That was uncall----ow!"

He turned round again, this time the culprit was Satoko.

"Oi! Cut that out---argh!"

Around again. Mion, whistling innocently.

"What the hell is with you gu----ouch!"

------------------------------

"A kick-me sign?" Keiichi groaned. "You really are childish."

"Hey," said Mion. "I'm not the one that put it on you."

"No, you just distracted me so that Satoko COULD put it on me," he grumbled. "I never did find out where Rena was."

"Bathroom," she said.

"Tch, as always, Rika-chan is the only nice one," he muttered.

"Mii," said Rika, happily. "I try, hehe."

"Oi oi," said Satoko. "I can be a gentle caring lady too, you know."

"No you can't," said Keiichi. "You're Satoko."

"Ah, what do you know," said Satoko, dismissively. "You're my property now, so from now on, you can't talk like that."

"Your property?" said Keiichi. "I don't think so."

"Unfortunately," said Mion. "Kei-chan's right on this. He's MY property---"

"Hey, what?" protested Keiichi.

"You're just looking after him for me," continued Mion. "Sorry, eh heh heh. Maybe you'll get a chance to own him sometime too."

"Oh-hohoho, a day to look forward to," laughed Satoko. "Keiichi-san serving mistress Satoko, I can picture it now!"

"Hey!" said Keiichi. "Nobody owns me!"

"Tch. I'm taking away your permission to speak now, Kei-chan," said Mion. Keiichi opened his mouth in protest, than grumbled and turned away.

"Oh-hohoho, ordering Keiichi-san around is going to be fuuuuuuun!"

------------------------------

Keiichi, Rena, Satoko, and Rika were gathered around the table. Keiichi still hadn't been granted the ability to speak again, so he simply sat, sulking. School was over, and they were waiting for Mion to start the club game--- but she seemed to have vanished.

"Rika, did you see where Mion-san went?" asked Satoko.

"Mii. Nope," Rika replied.

"Hmmm, Rena-san? Do you know?" Satoko said.

"Rena has no idea. Maybe she's doing something for Chie-sensei, maybe," said Rena.

"Huh," said Satoko. "I never saw her leave the classroom."

_This is just like when Rena vanished earlier today,_ thought Keiichi, as he sat in silence.

"Without Mii here, how are we supposed to do the club?" asked Rika.

"I know," said Satoko. "Geez, that Mion-san. I was looking forward to watching Keiichi-san lose again."

_Quiet you!_ thought Keiichi angrily. _You have an unfair advantage!_

"Let's ask Chie-sensei," said Rena. "She'll know."

Satoko nodded her head, and got out of her seat. Rena and Rika followed soon after, and together they left the room, leaving Keiichi on his own.

_Man,_ he thought as he laid his head down on the table. _I wish this was over already. I'm almost halfway there, right? This is day three, out of seven. Just gotta hold for the rest of today, and the next four days afterwards._

He sighed. _Gotta be careful not to fall asleep, or else they'll draw on me again, those damn immature girls._

He sat back up and leaned back in his chair, getting more and more bored by the second.

_Hmmmm,_ he realised. _Why didn't I got with them just then? It's a heck of a lot better than waiting around in here._

Eventually, the girls came back.

"Oh-hohoho, Keiichi-san, guess what?" said Satoko as she burst in. "Mion-san went home!"

Keiichi raised his eyebrow.

"Mii forgot to tell us," started Rika. "She had to go home early to talk to her grandma. That mean's you'll be going home with us now, nipah!"

Keiichi rubbed his forehead. _Great, my time to suffer at Satoko's hands has come earlier than scheduled. Typical._

"Hauu, good luck Keiichi-kun," said Rena. "Come back in one piece, okay?"

Keiichi nodded, and got out his seat. The rest of today was going to be hard, but he could manage it.

------------------------------

It was a change of pace, being at Satoko and Rika's house. For one, it was a lot smaller. Also, instead of one person barking orders at him, he now had two, although at least Rika was nice about it. This meant that Keiichi both had less AND more work to do, if that makes sense. Of course, Satoko had not yet granted him the right to speak again yet, so he had to work in silence, without protest.

First, they made him tidy up the mess they made last night. Apparently they had a pillow fight or something, and a lot of things got knocked over. Next, he had to make their beds, cause Rika didn't do that this morning. Then, he had cut the grass, cause Satoko couldn't be bothered. Finally, he had to make them something to eat, cause 'they were so tired from all that work.'

Keiichi ate in silence while the two girls kept talking about various things. He couldn't keep up with the conversation, he was too tired from all that work before. Instead, he simply watched them talk, and talk, and talk, and talk. Eventually, even _that_ got tiring, so he just concentrated on eating and nothing else.

"Keiichi-san," said Satoko, as she waved her hand in front of his face. "Hellooo?"

He snapped his eyes wide open, like coming out of a trance. _Damnit_, he thought to himself. _I was spacing out. Tch._

"Keiichi-san, you can talk now," said Satoko. "So says Mistress Satoko."

"Gee, thanks, _mistress_ Satoko," he said, sarcastically.

"No problem!" said Satoko energetically, evidently missing the point.

_Hmmmm... I just realised something,_ he thought to himself. _Shion and Satoko get on quite well, Shion is pretty much around her as often as she can be. Satoko probably has Shion's phone number, I mean, it wouldn't be that much of a stretch, considering how often I see them together._

"Uh, Satoko?" he said. "I was wondering, if you had Shion's phone number anywhere."

"Oh?" she said. "Shion-san?"

"Yeah," he said.

Satoko's lips curled into a twisted smile. "Ohhhh? And why does Keiichi-san want to talk to Shion-san, I wonder?

"I have something important to ask her," he said, getting annoyed.

"Oh-hohoho, I do have it, but you'll have to work for it," she said. "Can't talk to your _girlfriend_ until it's all over with."

"Wha? Girlfriend?" he said. "Tch, I just have something important to ask her, I'm not interested."

"Sure, sure," said Satoko. "Whatever. Rika wants you, she's waiting outside."

"Fine," said Keiichi. "You better stop being such a jerk when I get back."

Satoko stuck her tongue out at him. Keiichi turned his head, and got up from the floor, and walked out of the house, looking for Rika.

------------------------------

"Rika-chan?" said Keiichi as he walked over to her. "What're you doing all the way over here?"

Rika was a great deal away from the house, standing at the overlook, staring out at the village.

"Mii. I like it here," she said. "It's nice."

"Yeah, I suppose it is," he said as he joined her, leaning his arms on the wooden barrier. "You can see the whole village from up here."

"Yep," said Rika. "The whole village."

He sighed, and looked on in silence for a few minutes, taking in the sight before him. Looking closely, he could see all kinds of places. Over there was the school, over there was Mion's house, over there was Rena's place, over there was his own house. The sunset sky painted the whole thing a lovely orange, making the already beautiful village look amazing.

"Keiichi," said Rika. "You're not angry at Mii, are you?"

"Tch, of course I am," he said. "This whole slave business has me pissed off. Oh, she is going to get it."

"Don't be mad at her," she said.

"Why not?" he asked. "All she's been doing lately is making me angry, I think I have a right to, well, be angry!"

"She's not doing it cause she hates you," she said softly.

Keiichi blinked in surprise.

"Huh? Wait, I never said that," he said, a little taken back.

"I know, but you've been a lot angrier lately than usual," she said, with a hint of sadness.

"Hey hey," said Keiichi as he kneeled down in front of her. "I'm not mad at her, don't worry about it."

"Well, it's just, she likes you," she said. "She's not trying to make you mad."

"Of course she likes me, we're friends, right?" he said. "I'm not really mad, don't worry. This is just the club, right? We're just having fun."

"Okay," she said. "Just checking."

_I wonder why she thought I was angry at Mion?_ thought Keiichi to himself. _I don't recall acting any different than usual._

"Keiichi," started Rika. "The food you made was good today, though I don't know why Satoko made us eat early."

"It's cause she wanted to make me work," he said. "Cause she's a jerk, heh."

"Mii. Be nice to Satoko," she said. "It's not her fault she's lazy, mii."

"I'm pretty sure it is," said Keiichi. "Damnit, I wonder what she's going to make me do next?"

------------------------------

Keiichi grumbled as he brushed Satoko's teeth for her.

"Mii! Brush! Brush! Faster!" shouted Rika. "Work! Work!"

_What happened to the nice Rika-chan from just a moment ago?_ Keiichi wondered to himself.

He sighed, and continued to brush Satoko's teeth. Satoko had intended to milk their day with Keiichi for all it was worth, and that meant making him do _everything_, without exception. She couldn't be bothered to brush her teeth before she went to bed, so she got Keiichi to do it for her--- even though she has hours before she goes to sleep.

Eventually, Keiichi finished, and put Satoko's tooth brush back by the sink.

"Nice and clean," said Rika. "Congratulations, you have the shiniest teeth ever, Satoko!"

"Well, I try," she replied.

"Oi oi!" interrupted Keiichi. "I was the one that did all the work, you lazy bum!"

"Hmmm, tell the _peasant_ not to address me like that, Rika," said Satoko, mockingly. "He might dirty my ears."

"Mii! Mii! My turn, my turn!" shouted Rika, as she pointed at her mouth. Keiichi sighed, and fetched Rika's toothbrush.

------------------------------

"Satoko, I brushed your damned teeth, just let me call Shion!" said Keiichi, angrily.

"No can do, Keiichi-san," she replied, sticking her tongue out. "You see, you're not being very nice, maybe if you said please..."

Keiichi gritted his teeth, then replied: "Fine, _please_, let me call Shion."

"Nope," she said instantly. "You didn't do a good enough job on the meal."

"Why you little..." he said as he got up. "You're just trying to make me angry, aren't you?"

"Now, what makes you say that?" said Satoko. "I'm just stating the facts. The food you made was rather bland."

"Rika-chan liked it," he muttered.

"Rika likes everything," she replied.

"Just let me have that damned number!" he shouted.

"I already said no," she said. "Geez, go see if Rika has any work she wants you to do."

Satoko walked off, leaving Keiichi standing, very annoyed. Eventually he calmed down, and went to go look for Rika. Then he smacked his forehead with his palm.

_I'm such an idiot,_ he realised. _Rika-chan will let me call Shion. Why didn't I ask her first? Damnit Maebara Keiichi, you need to think straight._

Eventually he found Rika, by the sink.

"Nipah!" she said smiling. "Dishes need done, Keiichi."

He shrugged, and went over to the sink to get done on the dishes.

"Say Rika-chan," he said. "Could you do me a favour after this is over?"

------------------------------

Keiichi's hands were dry now, and he was just waiting on Rika now. He had just finished the dishes, and she agreed to let him talk to Shion. She just finished dialling the number in the phone, and handed it over to him. He put it by his ear, and listened to it ring.

"Mii," she said. "Have fun talking to Shii."

_Alright,_ he thought to himself. _Now to get all the dirt on Mion you can, eh heh heh. Now, little miss class president, you shall truly see the power of a desperate man. My revenge begins tomorrow._

Click.

"Hello, this is Sonozaki Shion," came the voice on the phone. "Who may I say is calling?"


	5. Chapter 5

Note: I do not own any of the characters within this story. They are the property of _07__th__ Expansion_.

To answer another popular question, Hanyuu won't be appearing in this. I'm not going to go into details, but hopefully season 3 will explain why.

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Mion yawned. Walking home on her own was no fun, she'd rather have Keiichi and Rena with her. It was a shame she had to go home so early.

She waved to some of the villagers as she walked past. Ever since the Watanagashi festival, the village had been a lot better. Satoko wasn't being neglected any more, for example, and nobody seemed to be afraid of her grandmother any more. Everyone was getting along together, just like in the good old days.

_I wonder if Tomitake-san will be coming again next year,_ she thought to herself. _After that whole ordeal..._

She sighed. She need to think about now, about what she would make Keiichi do tomorrow.

---------------------------------

She sipped the tea her grandmother had made for her. The two of them had just been having a long talk about the way things in the village have been going, and what they planned for the future.

"Mion," said her grandmother. "How is life at school going?"

"Okay, I suppose," she replied. "Chie-sensei's been working us harder than ever."

"That's good," said her grandmother. "Hard work will always pay off. However, you seem a little down today. Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Hmm? Ah, yeah," she replied. "Everything's fine."

Her grandmother sighed. "Mion, if something's bothering you..."

"Nothing is, don't worry," replied Mion with a smile. "Okay?"

---------------------------------

Mion closed the door to her house with a sigh. She had just went and delivered the papers she and her grandmother had wrote up to the Kimiyoshi house, and sent off a few more to her parents and uncles. Now, with nothing left to do in the day, she went to her room to relax. She lay down on her head, and looked at the ceiling.

_I wonder what Satoko and Rika-chan are making Kei-chan do?_ she wondered. _It'd probably make me laugh._

She turned her head and saw the doll Keiichi got her.

_It was two weeks before the festival when he gave me that,_ the thought. _At my uncle's toy shop. I was the only one who hadn't received a gift, and when he got that girly thing, he gave it to me, saying it suited me._

She sighed.

_I really felt like I'd have a chance with him after that... but he didn't seem any different than normal. I guess he doesn't really think of me as a potential girlfriend or anything like that, just a girl. Man..._

She hugged the doll close to her, staying silent.

_I suppose it's better than nothing,_ she thought sadly. _But still... I want him to recognise me. And I have the perfect chance for that, but I'm not taking advantage of it. Damnit, I'm a coward. I'm scared that the only reason he gave me this doll was because he didn't want to see me go home without a gift. I'm scared that he doesn't see me as anything more than a friend. Damnit..._

She let go of the doll, and got up. She walked out into the hallway where the phone was, and picked up the receiver. She dialled a number, and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello? This is Sonozaki Shion, how may I help you?" said her sister over the phone.

"Shion, it's Mion," she said.

"Ah, Sis, how are you?" said Shion.

"I could be better, I suppose. How's Satoshi?" said Mion.

"He's getting better," said Shion. "Irie says he's making a lot of progress. He thinks he should be able to be up and walking by the time of the festival next year!"

"That's great," said Mion as she smiled. "I'm sure Satoko would be glad to see him then."

"Yep, she'll be so surprised," said Shion. "I can't wait to see her face, ohh, she'll be so happy to see him."

"Yeah, I miss him too," said Mion. "Tell him I said 'hi', okay?"

"Will do, Sis," said Shion. "So, how's things with you and Kei-chan?"

"Eh heh heh, he thought he could take me on in a game of battleship," laughed Mion. "Now he's my slave for the week. I can make him do _whatever_ I want, wahahaha."

"Oh my, don't be too hard on him now," said Shion. "Kei-chan's a growing boy, you know. Hey, we need some help at Angel Mort over here. Maybe I could borrow him for a bit..."

"Sorry, he's mine," said Mion. "If I feel like cake, then I'll just have him fetch it for me. He's not yours to order around, hehehe."

"Ah, no fair Sis!" said Shion. "I want my very own Kei-chan to boss around too!"

"Too bad," said Mion, smirking.

"So..." started Shion. "What kinda stuff have you done together? Huh? Huh?"

"Wha-what? No-nothing!" said Mion.

"Hey, he's yours to boss around now, right?" said Shion. "This is the perfect time to really get to know the guy, hahahaha."

"Geez. I'm not going to do anything like that to him..." said Mion. "He wouldn't anyway."

"I don't know. He's a guy, and you're a girl," said Shion. "I'm sure he would, after all, he's a male, and we all know what guys think about."

"Geez, shut up," said Mion, getting irritated. "I don't need you talking about him like that."

"Seriously though," said Shion. "This is the best time to let him know how you feel about him. You could always play it off as seeing how far he's willing to go, eh heh heh. Don't ask for anything big, just a kiss or something."

"I-I-I-I can't do that!" said Mion. "How could you expect me to do anything like that!? There's just no way..."

"You could always try, Sis," said Shion. "You're just _dying_ to get him to like you, I don't see why you don't just take a hold of this opportunity."

"Cause it's embarrassing," said Mion. "I'm not that kind of person..."

"Well, you have to do something," said Shion. "Or else you'll never tell him, and he'll fall for someone else, and you'll be wishing you had told him how you felt forever and ever."

"Geez," said Mion. "Don't-don't say things like that. I think I'm going to hang up now."

"Okay Sis," said Shion. "Good luck!"

"Thanks," said Mion. "Goodbye, Shion."

"Goodbye!"

Click.

---------------------------------

Shion sighed as she put the phone down. _That girl is never going to tell him how she feels,_ she thought to herself. _She's just going to end up getting herself all depressed._

She shook her head, and got up off the bed.

"Kasai?" she shouted out into the hall. "Are you done taking a bath yet? I wanna get in!"

"Just a moment, Shion-san," came the reply.

She sighed, and lay back down in her bed, when the phone started to ring again. She picked it up.

"Hello, this is Sonozaki Shion," she said. "Who may I say is calling?"

"Uh, hello, this is Keiichi," came the voice on the phone.

_Kei-chan?_ thought Shion to herself. _Heh, what perfect timing._

"Ah, Kei-chan," she said, delighted. "I was just talking to Sis about you."

"Aah, she uh, she didn't tell you what she did to me, did she?" he said, worried.

"I know all about your predicament, if that's what you mean," she said.

"Gack, I was worried about that," he said. "You see, you know Mion better than anyone else, right?"

"Right," she replied.

"I wanted to find a way to get back at her," he said. "And I figured you were my best bet, but if she's already talked to you..."

_Getting back at Sis? Oh, this should be good,_ she thought. _I wonder if I should help him or not... although, this might help them get together..._

"Well... you never know," she said.

"So, you'll help me then?" he said, getting his hopes up.

"I might, I might not," she said. "It all depends."

"Depends? On what?" he asked.

"On whether or not you'll be _my_ slave for a day," she said, giggling.

"No-no way! I have it bad enough already!" he said, angrily.

"Oh come on," she said. "We could always use some help at Angel Mort, you know."

"Forget it," he said. "I'll get back at Mion some other way."

"Ah, you don't want my help?" she said, trying to sound sad.

"Nope. I guess I should've expected this from the Sonozaki family," he said. "You're all a bunch of bullies and slave drivers."

"Hey, now hang on," she said. "I'm just a sweet caring girl who wants some help at her little shop..."

"You get like a million customers every day!" he shouted. "No, you're just the kind of person that loves to see others suffer. The only time you care about other people is while they're down on their luck, struggling to make a place in this world, while you laugh as you lie your feet on top of them! People's suffering is a foot stool for you! So long as others are miserable, you are happy!"

"Hey, that's cruel, Kei-chan," she said.

"Then prove it. Prove you're a nice girl," he said.

"F-fine," she said. "I'll help you."

_I see why Mion calls him a 'Magician of Words' now,_ she thought to herself.

"Alright. Tell me," he said. "What is Mion's greatest weakness?"

"Her greatest weakness?" she pondered. "What do you mean?"

"I want to know what makes her tick," he said. "What makes her squirm. What her greatest fear is, what she doesn't want other people to know, what leaves her a shell of her former self. I want to know--- her _weakness_."

"Ah, I know what you mean," she said. She tapped her fingers on the bed as she lay down. "Uh... I'm not sure I can tell you that though."

"Huh? Didn't you say you'd help me? Why not?" he demanded.

_Cause it's not something I should tell you of all people, Kei-chan,_ she thought to herself. _If I told you how Mion felt about you... Tch. She'd be so pissed off at me. I would've thought you'd know anyway._

"Alright, I'll give you a hint," she said. "You remember, back on the festival? You remember what I told you?"

"What you told me?" he said, as he tried to remember.

"Back in the passage under the Sonozaki house," she said.

"Oh... you mean about uh, how the person you loved was gone, but the person she loved was still here?" he said. "Oh, I see what you're getting at."

"Yep," she said. "Good to see you understand now."

"But uh," he started. "Just who does she love."

Shion was silent. _Wow, you really are an idiot, Kei-chan,_ she thought to herself.

"Don't you know?" she said, hoping he'd get it eventually.

"No, I haven't got a clue," he said. "She doesn't really talk to use about anyone else, and I haven't seen her walking with anyone before..."

_He really is clueless,_ Shion thought. _Poor guy, it must be nice living in that small world of his._

"You already know him, trust me," she said. "Quite well in fact."

"...I do?" he said. "Who do I know that Mion likes... it uh, it isn't a girl, is it?"

"Ahahahahahaha, no, sorry to disappoint," Shion said, amused.

"Well, the only other people I know that she knows are like, the Manager and Tomitake-san, but I don't think she likes them either," he said.

"Nope, guess again," she said.

"I can't think of anyone else, sorry," he said.

_I didn't think it was possible to BE this oblivious,_ Shion thought. _This is going to take a lot more work than I thought._

"Kei-chan," she said. "Let's try this a different way. There is ONE guy that she interacts with on a daily basis, and you know who that is, right?"

"Uh..." he said, trying to think. "Well, I know there's me... but--- hey wait, are you trying to say--- that---"

"Yep," she said, with a smirk.

"R-r-ridiculous! She doesn't--- no way!" he said. "I should've known you were going to pull something like this. Tch, thanks for the 'help', Shion. I'm going to think of something else."

"Suit yourself," she said. "Just remember--- _you_ are her greatest weakness."

"Yeah, right," he said. "Goodbye, Shion."

"Bye Kei-chan," she said.

Click. He hung up.

_Well, I tried,_ she thought, as she put the phone back down.

"Shion-san," came Kasai's voice. "The bath is free."

---------------------------------

Keiichi put the phone down.

"What an utter waste of time," he said, disappointed.

"Mii. What is it, Keiichi?" said Rika.

"Shion just fed me a load of crap," he said. "Tch, I'm just going to suffer now, aren't I?"

"Maybe," said Rika. "Don't worry, it won't be too bad."

"Yeah it will," he said. "That girl has it out for me, I swear."

"Mii. I don't think so," she said. "Mii really likes you a lot. She's only hard on you cause she's like that with everyone. You know her."

"I never had to clean her toilet before," he sighed.

"Don't be angry at her, Keiichi," she said. "She's just having fun."

"I wanna have fun too," he said. "This is really one hell of a punishment game, damnit. It's hard to enjoy the club when people can just order you to lose."

"I'll talk to her," said Rika. "I'll make sure she's softer on you, okay?"

"Okay, thanks Rika-chan," he said with a smile.

"Nipah!" she said.

He glanced at the clock in the room. "It's getting late, I should probably head back now, alright?"

"Okay, Keiichi," she said. "Make sure a demon doesn't eat you on your way home."

"I'll be fine," he said, waving her off. "See ya!"

"Remember that you have to wear the maid outfit tomorrow!"

---------------------------------

Keiichi walked back to his house in silence. He was always walking home alone now, it seemed. Usually, he'd walk most of the way with Rena and Mion. He sighed. This week was certainly different.

Then, he found himself wondering about something else. About what Shion said on the phone, it bothered him, as he started to wonder if she was telling the truth.

_Mion... she couldn't... could she? I mean, she doesn't act like it,_ he thought. _But then... sometimes... she acts a little... well. Like with the doll earlier. Maybe---_

He shook his head.

_No, Mion is our fierce club leader,_ he reminded himself. _She doesn't think about stuff like that, she's always thinking of stuff for us to do, for challenges we must overcome. She's a master of games, she doesn't think of me as anything more than a friend. Right?_

Keiichi sighed. He wished he never talk to Shion now.


	6. Chapter 6

Note: I do not own any of the characters within this story. They are the property of _07__th__ Expansion_.

Sorry for the wait guys. This took me longer than it should. Then the idea for that Umineko popped into my head, and I just had to write that. Oh well, the chapter is here now, so that's a cause for celebration in my opinion. And it's the longest one yet!

**CHAPTER SIX**

Mion yawned as she waited for Rena and Keiichi to show up. They were taking longer than usual for some reason.

_Maybe Kei-chan's having a hard time getting into that maid costume, eh heh heh,_ she thought. _That better be the reason, or else I'm going to be pissed for having to wait this long._

She started to get ticked off at waiting so long, and started tapping her foot. When she finally saw the pair approaching (Keiichi in full maid costume, of course), she cupped her hands around her mouth.

"You two are LATE!" she shouted.

"Sorry Mii-chan," said Rena. "We didn't mean to take so long."

"Sure sure, what the hell took ya?" replied Mion.

Rena shuffled a bit before speaking. "Rena slept in," she said.

"Tch, just don't let it happen again," she said. "Kei-chan, you seem awful quiet."

Keiichi had indeed been standing in silence, apparently contemplating something. She assumed it was because he had to wear such an embarrassing outfit, but something seemed off besides that.

"I was just, uh," he started. "It's nothing."

"Hmmm? You sound rather suspicious," she said, moving closer to him. "And just what is it Kei-chan doesn't want this old man to know, huh?"

Keiichi turned his head away. "It's nothing. Really."

"Tch, fine," she said as she moved away. "We better hurry up and go anyway, or else we're going to be late."

"Hauu, Rena doesn't want to get in trouble," said Rena.

All of them started to dash off to school together. Mion and Rena talked the whole way, but Keiichi was strangely silent.

------------------------------

Mion was writing furiously. She had always struggled with Maths. She scratched her head as she looked at the problem down in front of her.

_Tch, I'll have to get Kei-chan to help me with this_, she thought.

She turned round to see Keiichi staring intently at her. He was wearing his gym clothes now --- when Chie saw him, she scolded him and told him to get changed. She held up her book in front of his eyes.

"Oi, Kei-chan," she said. "I'm ordering you to finish this page for me."

He blinked. "Uh, what?" he said, confused.

"I said finish this page for me," she repeated. "Geez, what're you spacing out for."

"Oh... sorry," he said, taking the book from her hands.

Mion sighed and turned back round. Chie had left the classroom for a little while, so she wasn't going to know. Tapping her fingers, she looked around the whole classroom. Everyone was working quietly, all completely focused on their studies. She yawned, and turned back to Keiichi.

"Hey, are you down yet?" she asked.

"Almost, give me a second," he said, not looking up from the book.

_That's odd,_ Mion thought. _Usually he'd be complaining by now, or doing something. Tch, it's no fun if he just goes along with whatever I say._

Keiichi finished writing, and handed the book back to her. "Here you go," he said.

Mion took it quietly, and glanced down at his own book. He hadn't even started working.

"You know," she said, pointing at his book. "It usually helps if you get started."

Keiichi looked down at his book. Without a word, he started to write in it. Satisfied, Mion turned round and tried to continue answering questions. She had gone through about half a page, when she came across another tough problem. Clicking her teeth, she turned around again, to see Keiichi looking at her again. She glanced down at his book again, and saw that he had only answered the first question.

"Uh... Kei-chan?" she said.

He blinked again. "Wh-what?" he said.

"Is there something interesting about the back of my head or something?" she asked.

"Huh?" he said, confused.

"You keep looking at me," she said. "What is it?"

Keiichi's face turned a deep red, and he stared back down at his book.

"D-do I?" he said, embarrassed. "S-sorry about that."

Mion gave him an odd look, before turning back to her studies.

_Kei-chan sure is acting odd today,_ she thought. _I wonder what's wrong?_

Soon Chie came back into the classroom, and started to help some kids with their problems.

------------------------------

It was lunch time. Rena had made a particularly large meal today, and everyone was stealing food out of her lunchbox. Everyone apart from Keiichi. Mion listened to a joke Rika was telling while eating some sushi taken from Rena's lunch, but out of the corner of her eye, she was watching Keiichi. He was still staring at her.

"...and then he said 'ouch'! Nipah!" said Rika, with a smile.

"Rika, that was awful," said Satoko. "Sheesh, you need to work on your material. Right Mion-san?"

"Hmmm? Ah, y-yeah," she said, taking her eyes off of Keiichi. "Maybe you should get a joke book."

"Mii, you two are terrible!" said Rika, annoyed. "_I_ thought it was funny."

Mion took her chopsticks, and plucked something out of her own lunch. She started to eat it slowly, as she looked back over at Keiichi.

_What's with him today?_ she wondered. _Is he... planning something? No wonder he hasn't been complaining, and staring at me all day. Hah, I'm on to you. Whatever you have, I'm prepared for it. Don't try to mess with your master, little slave._

With a smile, she finished chewing her food, and swallowed. She was confident he would have him in his place. She just needed a pre-emptive strike. She started to think of something as she got another bite of sushi out of Rena's lunch.

"Hauu, Mii-chan," said Rena, sadly. "Leave some Rena-na..."

"Whoops, sorry Rena, eh heh heh," laughed Mion. "Here, have some of mine."

She pushed her lunch towards Rena, who started to eat happily, until she came across that was 'kyuute' that she 'wanted to take home'. Mion wasn't paying attention however, she was formulating a plan for Keiichi in her head. She was ready for him.

------------------------------

They were had just finished playing poker. Mion had won, as she was able to make Keiichi do whatever she wanted on the game, bet high or low or tell her his cards or anything. He didn't seem pissed off about it. As she packed up, Keiichi went to another room to get changed back into his Maid outfit, while Satoko and Rika said their farewells.

"Rena," started Mion. "Does Kei-chan have anything planned for me?"

"Hmmm? What do you mean, Mii-chan?" asked Rena.

"I mean, he seems awfully suspicious today," Mion replied. "I think he's up to something, trying to strike back against me."

"Maybe," said Rena. "Rena doesn't know, he hasn't said much to me either. What do you think he's going to do? What do you think?"

Mion rubbed her chin. "I don't know, but I bet it's something big."

"Hauu... I hope he doesn't go to far," mumbled Rena. "Mii-chan's been really mean... so..."

Keiichi opened the door, in full maid costume. Without a word, he stepped into the room.

"Speak of the devil," said Mion. "You ready to go, Kei-chan?"

"Yeah," he said.

Mion picked up her bag and tossed it at him. He caught it, and held it in one of his hands, while he went to go fetch his own bag.

_Man Kei-chan,_ she thought. _It's kinda creepy to have you so quiet. Say _something_, god._

"Hauu, Keiichi-kun, you don't need to carry my bag," said Rena, breaking the silence.

Mion looked over at her, Keiichi was trying to carry her bag for her. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Wahahaha, Rena, if Kei-chan wants to carry your bag, let him," she said.

"A-alright," said Rena, as she let go.

"Let's go," he said, as he shouldered her bag, along with Mion's and his own.

"Keiichi-kun, are you sure you can carry all that," Rena asked, worried.

"I'm fine," he said. "Don't worry."

"Haven't we had this conversation before?" asked Mion. "Seriously, you guys need to get a new act."

Keiichi didn't answer, instead he opened the door and started to leave. Mion shrugged, and followed him, with Rena close behind. They left the school building and started to walk home together. Like the morning, Rena and Mion talked and talked throughout, while Keiichi remained silent. Eventually, Rena left the other two, and headed back to her place on her own, while Keiichi followed Mion back to her place.

"Uh... Mion... started Keiichi. "Is it true that... uh... you uh..."

"That I what, Kei-chan?" asked Mion.

"No, never mind," he said. "What do you have for me to do today?"

"Ah," said Mion, excited. "I'm glad you asked."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a long sheet of paper, with writing all over it. She had been working on this list instead of doing her work, and it was full of all kinds of nasty little jobs for Keiichi to do. She figured that if he was constantly busy with meaningless tasks, he wouldn't be able to strike back at her. Keiichi's eyes widened as he saw the list.

"Well, first I'm going to need you to---"

------------------------------

Keiichi seemed to go back to normal after that. He had a mop balanced on his shoulders and a bucket in hand, and was cursing under his breath the whole time. There was dirt all over his clothes, had Mion had just finished making him do the gardening, which was rather difficult, considering how big her place was.

He put the bucket down on the ground, and held the mop properly. He dipped the mop in the bucket, and took it back out. With a sigh, he started to mop the ground. Mion stood close behind him, making sure he wasn't slacking. Under her watchful eyes, he cleaned the floors, sad.

"Say, Mion," he said.

"No talking on the job," she replied.

Keiichi totted. There was no way he could work like this. This was different from all the other times, and he hadn't even gotten a moment's rest. She was overworking him to an unbelievable extent. He was sure he hadn't done anything to piss her off today.

He sighed, and continued to mop. He was sure he was doing a bad job of this too. Well, there was nothing he could do. After a while, he was too tired to carry on, and leaned on the mop, panting.

"M-Mion," he said. "Seriously, can I take a break?"

Mion gave a close look at him, and then sighed.

"Fine," she said coldly. "But only for a bit."

He put the mop in the bucket and stretched out. He headed to another room to lie down, Mion following closely. He found her room and sat down on her bed.

"Oi," said Mion. "Did I say you could go in here?"

"Leave me alone, I'm tired," he said in reply.

Mion sighed, and sat down on the bed next to him. He looked around the room and noticed the doll wasn't anywhere to be seen. He sighed. After a moment, he gathered his thoughts, trying to think of something.

"Mion," he said, with a serious tone. "At Watanagashi, you were going to take a bullet for everyone."

Mion looked surprised, then scratched at her face. "Ahahaha... well, you know, I couldn't have any of my friends get hurt."

Keiichi was silent for a moment, then spoke again. "What would you have done if one of us had gotten shot?"

Mion thought for a moment. "I would've taken her to the underground chamber," she said. "Strapped her to the table, and hammer nails into all of her finger joints. I would've made her suffer long and hard."

"Ahahaha, really?" he said. "Good to know you care about us."

"Well... you know," she said.

"Uh... this is kinda strange, but uh," started Keiichi. "I think I took a bullet for everyone once."

"Huh?" said Mion, confused.

"I can remember it clearly, even though it never happened," he said. "It was dark. We were running through the forest, and then I heard it, I _saw_ it. This bullet rushing towards me. It was like time stopped. I couldn't move, I could just see it stopped in midair right before me, and then, it hit me."

Mion sat in silence as he continued.

"It hurt so much, and I fell to the ground," he said. "Everyone was sad, you all gathered around me. I remember your crying face, I remember Rena getting everyone together and telling everyone to run. I remember wishing, _praying_ you would all get away."

"That's... odd, Kei-chan," she said.

"I'm sure it happened," he said. "But it didn't. I don't know how to explain it. It's not the first time either."

"It's not?" said Mion.

"About the time Hanyuu came here, just before then," he said. "When I got you that doll."

"Huh?" she said. "When you got that... doll?"

"Yeah," he said. "I had it in my hands, and I just... _remembered_ something. I thought of you, you crying, talking to Rena on the phone, saying how much you wanted that doll. I remember how sad you were that you didn't get it, so I tried to buy it for you again, but I couldn't. I tried again, but you wouldn't take it, you were so hurt. I didn't want that to happen, so I gave it to you."

"Is that so," she said, softly.

"Yeah," he said. "I don't know, it's so weird. It started to happen again when Hanyuu came here. I remembered all kinds of weird stuff. Mion, we're more than friends, right?"

"That's right," she said. "We're comrades. Brothers in arms. We'll fight together to the very end."

"Comrades," he said. "I always liked the sound of that word."

"That's probably why you use it so often, eh heh heh," laughed Mion.

Keiichi still had a serious look on his face. "Mion," he said. "When you finish this school year, you have to go to university, right?"

"Ah, yeah," she said, looking down at herself.

"It's going to be so weird, without you here," he said. "I'll miss you a lot, you know."

"Yeah, I'll miss you too," she said, sadly. "You know, I don't like to think about it too much. I like to think about now, with us here, together."

Keiichi shook his head. "You're right, I shouldn't think about that. Mion, could you do me a favour?"

"Hmmm? Sure, Kei-chan," she said.

"Could you go get that doll again," he said. "I'd like to see you hold it."

Mion blushed for a moment, then nodded slowly. She headed over to her closet, and opened it, taking the doll out from inside. She held it in between arms in front of him, blushing furiously. Keiichi just sat and stared at her.

"Brothers in arms," he mumbled. "You know, we can't be brothers if you're a girl."

Mion didn't say anything to that, she just turned even redder.

------------------------------

Keiichi finished making a little snack in the kitchen, at Mion's request. He brought it out over to the table, and bowed before her.

_I'm such an idiot,_ Mion thought glumly to herself. _Kei-chan wasn't trying to get back at me, he was just worried. Damn, I never really gave thought to that before. What will the club do without me?_

She shook her head. _Don't be a hypocrite now, you said it yourself. Don't think about stuff like that, concentrate on the here and now._

"Uh, Mion," said Keiichi. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Ah, whoops," she said. "Sorry, I was spacing out."

She took one of the biscuits out of the little basket he had brought and took a bite. It wasn't the best, but it was still good. Keiichi said he was terrible at cooking, so he was getting his mother to teach him a few things. Evidently, it seemed to be working.

"It's good," she said. "It gets the Club President Sonozaki Mion Seal of Approval!"

"Huh?" he said, confused. "You're weird, you know that, right?"

"And you're not?" she retorted.

Keiichi just grumbled at that, and took one of the biscuits for himself. He was rather pleased with the result, although, it seemed something was missing...

"Damnit, I forgot the most important ingredient!" he shouted as he slammed his fist on the table. "Tcch, it would've been so much better then."

"Hey hey," said Mion. "It tastes good, alright? That's all that matters."

"Tch, I guess," he said.

He sat down and put his head in his hands, still ticked off that he had forgotten such a vital part of his, or rather, his mother's recipe. Mion patted him on the back as she chewed.

"You know, it's almost time for you to head back," she said. "You can go early, if you want."

"Hmm? Ah, thanks," he said. "My parents would probably like that. Okay, see ya then."

He got out of the chair and started to head off.

"Oh, Kei-chan," said Mion, softly. He turned round. "You don't have to wear that maid outfit tomorrow. I mean, y'know, Chie would just get pissed again, eh heh heh."

Keiichi smiled. "Thank you, Mion. Uh, could you tell your sister something?"

"Huh? What do you want to do with Shion?" she said, getting a little serious.

Keiichi chuckled, pleased with her reaction. "Tell her, 'thanks for letting me know'."

He turned and left, leaving her puzzled.

_Thanks for letting him know?_ she wondered. _Letting him know what?_

------------------------------

Keiichi walked back to his house, wondering what to do. He couldn't think anymore, his head was an absolute mess. He knew he had vowed to get back at Mion... but... he didn't want to do that anymore. He didn't know what he wanted to do anymore.

_Maybe Rena knows something,_ he thought. _Damnit, I'm all confused now. I wonder how I never noticed it before today?_

He sighed, and just continued on towards his home. His parents were out for some work related stuff, so he didn't have anything to worry about when he got home. He headed to his room, and got changed back into his normal clothes, relieved that he could feel like a man again.

_I should probably send this back to the Manager,_ he thought to himself.

He headed downstairs and picked up the phone, and dialled Rena's phone number.

Soon, a man picked. "Hello? Ryuguu residence."

"Ah, hello," said Keiichi. "I was wondering if I could speak with Rena?"

"Who is this?" asked the man.

"Her friend, Keiichi, from school," he said.

"Hold on just a minute," said the man.

Keiichi could hear him call out for Rena. After a while, she picked up the phone. "Keiichi-kun?"

"Ah, Rena, hi," he said. "Uh, sorry for calling you so late."

"It's no problem Keiichi-kun," she said. "It's not late at all!"

"Well," he said. "I dunno, maybe it just seems that way cause I'm tired."

"Has Mii-chan been overworking Keiichi-kun, I wonder? I wonder?" she said.

"Nah, don't worry! I'm fine," he said, as he gave a thumbs up. He didn't know why, because there wasn't anyone to see it. "Actually Rena, Mion was what I wanted to talk about."

"Hmmm? Why? Why? What about Mii-chan?" she asked.

"Well... did, uh... did you know what Mion... uh..." he stuttered. "uh, _likes_ me."

"Yep. Why wouldn't she?" she replied.

"No I mean... damnit, you know," he said.

"Oh," she said. "Teehee, Keiichi-kun finally figured it out, huh? Rena knew! Rena knew!"

"Geez," he said. "Yeah, I figured it out. Ummm, did she tell you, or...?"

"No," she said. "She never told me, but it was obvious from the way she talked about you. When you first moved here, she said she finally found a 'good rival', hee hee. She's liked you for a long time now."

"Wow..." he said. "I can't believe I never realised."

"It's cause Keiichi-kun is an idiot," she said.

"Huh? O-oi! Don't say that!" he shouted angrily.

"Hauu, but it's true," she replied. "You would have to be an idiot not to realise for so long. I guess it's a good thing you finally did."

"Yeah, I guess it is," he said. "I'm all confused now though, I don't know what to do."

"Hauu? What do you mean, what do you mean?" she said.

"I mean, when this whole thing started, I wanted to get back at Mion," he said. "I was trying to plan this huge revenge to get back at her... but I don't want to do that anymore. I don't know what I want to do."

"Hmmmm... Keiichi-kun, could it be you like Mii-chan back?" she asked.

Keiichi shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know what I think."

"Hauu, Rena thinks you should do something nice for Mii-chan tomorrow," she said. "Make sure happy. See how you feel when you see her smile tomorrow, alright?"

"A-alright," he said. "Thanks, Rena."

"No problem," she said.

He put the phone down.

_What should I do tomorrow?_ he wondered.


	7. Chapter 7

Note: I do not own any of the characters within this story. They are the property of _07__th__ Expansion_.

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Keiichi couldn't sleep. All he could think about was Mion. Her standing in front of him, with the doll. That was the exact moment he decided it was true. Her face... it was hard to describe. The way she held the doll, tucking it into her stomach with both arms, its head sticking out in the gap between them. That blushing face, the way she tried to avoid looking at him, yet didn't want to look away. That image. That was when he knew, once and for all.

He rolled over, pulling the covers over him. Brothers in arms. Comrades. That was what he liked to think. All of them, Mion, Rena, Satoko, Rika. They were comrades. To the very end. He shook his head.

_How can we be comrades now?_ he thought, sadly. _This is... completely different! This goes beyond friendship, what you feel for me. Damnit, why did everything have to be so complicated now. Damnit damnit damnit._

He wiped his eyes, when he noticed he was crying. He wiped his eyes furiously, desperate to get all the tears away.

_Damnit Mion,_ he said to himself, wishing she could hear him right now. _Why did you have to go ahead and like me? Now I don't know what to think, what to do any more. Shit..._

He pulled the covers off of himself. He walked over to the wall, and flicked on the light. He opened the door, turned on another light, and headed down the stairs. He made his way to the kitchen, and got a glass. He went over to a pitcher by the sink, took it, and poured water into the glass. Solemnly, he sat down with the glass in hand, and rested his head on the table.

_I wonder if Rena is right,_ he thought. _I wonder if I like her back. Maybe... maybe I'll take her up on her advice. Shit, I don't know what to do. I already got her that doll, and she isn't going to let me go into town to get something. Damnit._

Then, he realised something.

_They say... the best gifts, are the ones you make yourself,_ he thought, as he put his head up. _She liked those biscuits yesterday, but I screwed them up. Alright, tomorrow, I'm going to make them better than ever! It'll be my gift to you!_

Smiling, he downed the glass of water.

------------------------------

Hours before, around the time Keiichi left the Sonozaki residence, Mion called Shion on the phone. She had nothing to do, and she decided she may as well pass Keiichi's message on, even if she didn't like it.

"Hey Sis," said Shion, as she took the phone from Kasai.

"Hello, Shion," said Mion.

"What is it?" said Shion.

"Uh... well," started Mion. "Kei-chan told me to tell you something."

"Oh?" said Shion, curious. "And what would that be?"

"Uh, it was, 'thanks for letting me know'," said Mion. "I don't know what he means."

"Ah, so he figured it out," said Shion. "You're going to love this, Sis."

"H-huh?" said Mion, confused. "Love what? What's going on?"

"You'll see," said Shion, teasingly. "I'm afraid I can't say much more. Just that you should enjoy it. Well, if that's all, tata, Sis."

"H-hey! Shion!" said Mion. "Don't hang u---"

Click.

_Damnit,_ thought Mion, as she put the phone down. _What the hell are those two planning?_

------------------------------

Morning the next day. Keiichi got up early, and started making his mother's special biscuits. He poured his heart and soul into making them, to the limits of his abilities, _beyond_ them, even. These would be the greatest things he would ever craft with his own two hands. The only thing that could rival it would be a mansion built entirely by himself. These would be his _Magnum Opus_. Maebara Keiichi's most fantastic achievement, in all his life.

He wiped his forehead. They were done. It was complete. He had succeeded at the task he set out to do. Carefully, he put them all in a basket, and covered them with a cloth. Satisfied, he put on his bag, and headed out the door, basket cradled in his arms. Soon, he came across Rena.

"Good morning Keiichi-kun," she said, as she started to walk alongside him. "What is that I wonder, I wonder?"

Keiichi looked down at the basket. "Uh... I decided to take your advice," he said, sheepishly. "I put a lot of work into them. I hope Mion likes them."

"Wow," she said. "It smells good. I didn't know you were a chef, Keiichi-kun."

"Lay off," he said. "I'm nowhere near as good as you. You make some amazing stuff."

"Hauu, don't say that," she said, blushing. "It's nothing really..."

"There's a reason we all eat out of your lunch box, Rena," he said. "It's cause you make the best food."

"Ha-hauu... Keiichi-kun," she mumbled.

"Mornin' guys!" shouted Mion from a distance.

"Morning Mii-chan!" shouted Rena, as she waved.

Keiichi gulped. It was almost time. He was going to have to give this basket over to her. Could he do it? It meant swallowing his pride. He never did stuff like this. It wasn't his style. The only reason he put the candy in that box was---

_Candy? What box?_ he thought to himself. _This... this is just like all those other times. I put candy in that box. It was a lunch Mion had made for me. Mom made me do it, as a thank you gift. It wasn't my style. Why do I remember that?_

He shook his head.

"Hey, Mion!" he shouted. "Got something for you!"

"Huh? What is it? You know, old men like me hate surprises, eh heh heh," she said.

As he and Rena walked over, he held out the basket in front of him. She took it from his hands, and took the cloth off.

"Oh," she said, slightly puzzled. "You know, I already had breakfast this morning."

"Then save them for lunch," he said. "I screwed them up yesterday, so I wanted to get them right this time."

"Ah, th-thanks... Kei-chan," she mumbled.

Keiichi made sure to get a good hard look at her face. To absorb it all in. Realise what he felt about her reaction. She was blushing slightly, and was looking down at the basket. He could feel a longing. She longed for them, to taste them. She wanted to eat them now, even though she couldn't. And he was happy, happy to give her something to look forward to.

He had burned another one of Mion's faces into his mind. The first was when he realised she liked him. This face, this is when he realised that he liked her.

He was going to remember that face for as long as he lived.

------------------------------

Keiichi avoided the tacks on the door, and the tripwire just after it. Feeling confident, he sat down in his seat, only to get splashed with ink. His shirt was ruined. Looking at his desk, he saw a little jet pointed at him. There was a cord connected to it, and he followed it with his eyes. It lead to his seat. He stood up, and saw a wooden board was placed on his chair. He didn't noticed, and now his shirt was ruined.

"SAAAAATOOOOOKOOOOO!!!"

He was pissed. But Satoko wasn't here for once.

_That's odd,_ he thought. _She's always there to taunt me whenever I fall for her childish pranks. This isn't like her... oh no. I get it. This is just phase one. She has more planned for me. She's expecting me to get pissed, and to rush out of her, and look for her. I'll just run into more traps. Heh, I saw through your little scheme, Satoko._

Pleased with himself, he sat back down. Only to get squirted with more ink. He forgot to disarm the trap.

"Oh-hohohoho," came a laugh from somewhere.

Keiichi looked out the classroom window. Satoko and Rika were peering in, and Satoko had her tongue stuck out.

"Silly Keiichi-san, falling for the same trap twice in a row!" she said.

"Poor poor Keiichi," said Rika. "He needs to wash his clothes now, mii."

"DAMNIT SATOKO!" he shouted. "JUST YOU WAIT TILL I GET OUT THERE!"

Without another through, he dashed out the classroom, and headed down the hall, only to trip over some more tripwire. As he lay dazed on the ground, a bucket of water tilted over from on top of one of the lockers and dumped its contents all over him.

"Oh-hoho, look Rika, he did wash them," laughed Satoko, as she approached the scene. "Maybe he should look where he's going."

Keiichi tutted. He had been beaten by that girl again. How the hell does she know exactly how he's going to act. After she and Rika left, he got up off the floor and headed back to the classroom. With a sigh, he sat back down in the chair. Only to get splashed with more ink.

------------------------------

The morning's traps were over, and so was the first half of the day. It was lunch time now, and the gang were all gathered around one large table, like always. Mion had the basket of biscuits in front of her today. Keiichi watched her eagerly. She took one, and took a bite.

"Wow," she said. "This is really good. Much better than last time. Er, not that they weren't good last time, eh heh heh..."

Keiichi waved her off. "I'm a terrible cook, I know," he said. "That's why I put all my effort into those."

Satoko snickered. Keiichi gave her a dirty look.

"Th-thanks..." said Mion. "They're lovely..."

Satoko had started whispering something into Rika's ear. Keiichi noticed, and leaned over to listen.

"Keiichi-san and Mion-san, sitting in a tree..." she sang, quietly.

Keiichi put his hand to her head, and flicked her. Satoko rubbed the back of her head, and turned round.

"Oi! Why the heck'd you do that?" she demanded, angrily.

"For not minding your own business," he replied. "Now sit there and shut up."

"H-hey! You can't talk to me like that? Right, Mion-san?" she said, looking at Mion with hopeful eyes.

"Don't think I didn't hear what you were singing," she replied, fire in her eyes. "Now sit there and be quiet."

"Miihiihiihii," laughed Rika. "Poor Satoko."

She pattered her on the head. "Pity pity..."

"R-Renaaa..." cried Satoko. "They're picking on me!"

Rena started to shake visibly. "Ha...ha... HAUUUUU!" she cried out.

In a flash.

Without warning.

Her fist had connected with the side of Keiichi's face.

And not even a second later, with Mion's face.

The two of them were sent flying across the classroom, and landed in a crumpled heap.

Rena had grabbed onto Satoko, and was rubbing her head up and down the little girl.

"Satoko-chan is safe now," said Rena, giggling madly. "I can take you home now, right? Right?"

Satoko gave Keiichi and Mion an evil grin, as they struggled to pull themselves up off the ground.

------------------------------

Keiichi lost the club game once again. The penalty game, was to go home with his hair braided. He sighed, but it could be worse. Soon, he and Mion saw Rena off again. Keiichi silently thanked Rena for her help, then turned to walk home with Mion.

"Say, Mion," he said.

"Hmmm? What is it, Kei-chan?" she asked.

"Er, tomorrow," he said. "We don't have school. So uh, what do I have to do?"

"I'll think of something," she said. "I'll give you a call."

"I see," he said, quietly. "Uh... I'm glad you liked the stuff I made."

"Hmmm? This doesn't seem like you," she noticed. "I'm surprised you made it actually, why'd you go and do that?"

"Well, I already said, you made me make something yesterday, but I screwed it up," he said. "I figured I might as well try again."

"I see," she said.

Keiichi gulped. "S-s-s-s-say... Mion..." he stuttered.

"What is it?" she asked.

This was it. He wanted to see that face of hers again... but could he bring himself to say it? He felt so odd inside. He swallowed again, and went for it.

"Er... have I... have I ever told you, that, uh, you, uh..." he managed to get out. "You look good. Nice. You look nice."

"Ahhhh---" said Mion, as the blood rushed to her face. "Uh, th-thanks, I guess."

Keiichi looked away, blushing like mad. He felt stupid saying something like that, but he got what he wanted. He sighed, and got himself ready for another long day of choirs.

"You look nice too," she mumbled.

Keiichi didn't say anything.


	8. Chapter 8

Note: I do not own any of the characters within this story. They are the property of _07__th__ Expansion_.

We're coming near to the end of this, heh. This has been a lot of fun to write, actually. I'm going to miss this little story.

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Keiichi found himself cleaning up Mion's horribly untidy room. He was amazed out how unorganised the place was. He wasn't exactly a saint either, but even this mess he couldn't deal with. Unsurprisingly, she had lots of games. Many of them foreign ones, that he couldn't read the names of. Not well, anyway. She also had what seemed like a million packs of cards, each with different designs. And then there were all these different dice, of different shapes and sizes. Some even had twenty sides, which baffled him. What kind of game needed a die with twenty sides? Something told him he would find out soon enough.

He sorted out all her comics into alphabetical order, and put them on a shelf in her closet. He tidied her bed, arranging the sheets and blanket it properly. Since the Sonozaki family seemed so traditionally Japanese, the bed confused him. He was sure she'd have a futon, like everyone else. He shrugged, and put that doll on her bed, by the pillows. Smiling, he gave it a pat on the head.

"I probably have to a lot to thank you for," he said out loud. "Thanks."

Of course, the doll didn't respond. It just looked up at him from its place on the bed. Satisfied with the way her room looked now, he stretched, and headed out.

"Mion, I'm done," he called out. "What now?"

She walked out from around a corner. "Thanks, Kei-chan," she said. "I was having trouble finding a lot of my stuff, so I figured it needed cleaning."

"I organised everything properly," he replied. "Damn, you have no idea how hard that room was to clean."

"Bweheheheh, cleaning isn't really my thing," she said.

"I can tell," he replied. "You must have never cleaned that room since you were little or something."

"Well, I try," she said with a smile. "Let's take a break for now. Heh, I've got a cool new game to show you. Imported all the way from the west."

"Tch. What's with you and foreign games anyway?" he asked.

"They're interesting," she said, as she headed into her room. "Plus, I have a lot of normal games too. Heh, maybe you can play Mahjong with me and Oishi sometime."

"You played Mahjong with Oishi?" he said, following her. "You didn't bet real money, did you?"

"I did, actually," she said, as she dove into her closet. "It was a few days after Watanagashi. I played with him, his partner, and Akasaka. Man, Akasaka is a demon at Mahjong. They called him the 'Mahjong Knight', eh heh heh. He took everything."

"Wow," he said. "Y'know, to tell the truth, that guy always scared me a little."

"What, Akasaka?" she said. "That guy's alright. Heh, I can't wait till next year. He said he's going to bring his daughter. She's a real cutie, apparently. Ah, here it is!"

She brought out a box with a weird name on it, one in English. Mastermind. He had never heard of it. Something told him this was going to be a tough one...

She took him into the dining room, and sat down at the table. She explained all the rules to him, about how you have to guess the code the other player puts down. When he thought he understood it, the game began.

------------------------------

This was his last chance to crack the code. He put down four pegs. Red. Red. Yellow. Green. He prayed, and watched as Mion marked his guess. Two correct, two in the wrong place. She revealed the code.

Red. Yellow. Red. Green.

"Damnit, Mion," he said, angrily. "You're far too good at this."

"Yup," she said. "Now gimme that shirt."

He sighed, and took off his shirt, and put it on the pile along with his coat, his shoes, and his socks. For some reason, the punishment game was that you had to remove one article of clothing. She had always guessed his codes though, so she still had everything. Damnit, this was unfair.

First off, she never told him you could have the more than one of the same colour, making her second code impossible for him to figure out. Second off, she always arranged them in odd ways. Once she even had a code that was all Blue. There was no way he would've been able to figure that one out. She was a master at this game. He didn't stand a chance.

"Er, Mion," he said. "Can we uh, not play any more? I'd like to keep my pants, please."

"Wahahahahaha, fine Kei-chan," she laughed. "Although, I think I might've liked to see that."

"Thanks, Mion," he said as he got up.

_Hmmm... I wonder..._ he thought to himself. _This might be a good chance._

"Say, Mion," he said. "My parents are gone for a while, and they won't be back to Monday. So uh, you know, you could always boss me around for a lot longer. Er, I could stay over, I mean."

"Haaah---" she squeaked. "S-stay over? At this old man's place? Eh heh heh... I dunno about that... I mean, grandma might have a problem with it when she gets back... and... you know..."

_Awww, she's so cute,_ he thought with a smile. _I think I'm turning into Rena. I want to take her home!_

He shook his head. "Well, you know, it was just a suggestion," he said. "If your grandma is going to have a problem..."

"Well, she might not," she said, looking down at the ground. "I wouldn't... have a problem... so, if I talk to her... she, uh. I don't know."

"I get it," he said. "She wouldn't want some young man staying over with her granddaughter. I understand."

Mion blushed at that. He smiled.

"Well... I could tell her to go stay over at Kimiyoshi's place," she said. "His granddaughter is coming to visit, so they probably have their hands full."

Keiichi sighed. He was going to spend the night at Mion's house. He never imagined he would ever do something like this, but it looked like he would now. He looked up at the ceiling, contemplating what he should do.

------------------------------

Keiichi turned off the water. The tub was full. Mion asked him to make her a bath. She managed to talk her grandmother into staying over at the Kimiyoshi house, so that went well. He ran his fingers through the water, making sure it was the right temperature. Satisfied, he opened the door.

"Mion! Tub's ready!" he shouted.

"Thanks Kei-chan!" she shouted back.

She ran out of her room and towards him. He handed her a towel, which she took before heading inside.

"See you in a bit," she said.

The door closed, and Keiichi found himself with nothing to do for a bit. He sighed, and headed over to Mion's room. Looking inside, he found she had left that game from before out. With a tut, he put it back in the closet with the other games, before taking out a comic to read.

_Maybe,_ he wondered. _Maybe I should tell her tomorrow. I don't know what she has planned, but... I want to tell her. Just not today. I want one more day of just being friends._

He opened the comic, and started to read as he sat down on Mion's bed.

_Everything is going to change tomorrow,_ he realised. _We won't be friends, we won't be comrades anymore. We'll be something more than that. I wonder if I can really do that?_

He found it hard to concentrate on the comic in his hands. He sighed, and closed it.

------------------------------

Mion was relaxing in the nice warm water, slowly leaning further and further back. Thinking hard.

_Kei-chan is going to sleeping over your house tonight, Sonozaki Mion!_ she reminded herself. _Kei-chan is sleeping over. This is the kind of thing you've been wishing for weeks now. And now it's finally happened._

She remembered her phone call with Shion earlier that day.

_'You're going to love this', _she recalled. _How did she know this was going to happen? 'Thanks for letting me know?' What the hell is going on? Did she put him up to this? I guess... I guess I should thank her, somehow._

She put her head under the water, relaxing a bit more.

_She wanted Kei-chan to help out at Angel Mort... I guess I could get him to do that,_ she thought. _She'd appreciate it. I guess we're headed into Okinomiya tomorrow. Maybe I can get him to buy me some games while we're there, eh heh heh._

She sat up straight, letting the water run down her face.

_Tomorrow, we're going into town,_ she thought._ I guess we'll be making a few stops. Oh my, this is kind of like a date. Hmmmmm... I guess, that... I'm making some progress with Kei-chan finally. I really do need to thank Shion._

------------------------------

Keiichi still hadn't moved. He was still holding the comic in his hands, looking off into nothing. Then, Mion walked in, drying her hair with a towel, dressed in her usual attire.

"Uh, Kei-chan?" she said. "What are you doing?"

He was silent for a moment. "I was... thinking about something," he said slowly. "I'm not sure I can do this."

"Do what?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Don't worry," he said. "It's nothing."

"Something smells fishy here," she said, as she sat down beside him. "What are you hiding."

"It's nothing," he said. "It's... nothing..."

She looked closely at him, and noticed he was shaking. Looking up at his face, she saw he had his eyes shut tight, trying to hold something back. She sighed, then patted him on the back.

_I think I have a pretty good idea what's wrong,_ she thought to herself.

"There there," she said, as she wrapped her arms around him. "When I go to uni next year, I'll be sure to write. Maybe you can even come to the same place as me next year. We'll still be friends, don't worry."

"I'm... not thinking about that," he said. "It's tomorrow. Everything... it's going to change. I don't know if I want that."

She opened her eyes. "Everything's going to change?"

"Please," he said. "I don't want to talk about it."

She was silent. Then she realised what she was doing, and quickly took her arms off of him, blushing furiously. Feeling awkward, she looked at him again.

_Kei-chan..._ she thought, sadly.

------------------------------

An hour later, Keiichi calmed down. She didn't give him any more work to do that night, she knew that something was bothering him, and he needed to give his emotions a rest. She made a quick meal, and sat down at the table with him. She didn't have a clue what the problem was, but she reminded him that she would be there for him.

"I know," he said. "You'll always be there for me. Always."

"Yep," she said. "That's what friends are for."

He didn't reply to that. He took another bite of the meal in front of him.

"Tomorrow," she said. "We're going into Okinomiya. Is that okay with you?"

Keiichi seemed to consider this for a moment. "Yeah, it's okay with me," he said.

He took another bite, chewed and swallowed it.

_Damnit, I wish you would tell me what's wrong,_ she thought. _I can't help you if I don't know!_

"Mion," he said. "You had a die with twenty sides in your room. What game uses that?"

"Hmm? Ah, it's for this uh, weird thing," she said. "I'm not sure if you guys would like it. It looks like a lot of fun, though. I might try it out with you guys though, but it would be a lot different from usual club games."

"Oh? That's odd," he said. "I'd give it a try, just to see why you need dice with so many sides."

"Heh heh heh, okay then," she said. "You might need to brush up on your painting skills though."

"There's paint as well now?" he said, confused. "Just what kind of game is this?"

"A unique one," she said.

"Hmmmm... hey, you said you played Mahjong with Oishi a while ago, right?" he said. "You ever play with him again?"

"Yep," she said. "Every once in a while, he invites me to one of their games. I usually end up playing with him, his partner, and the coroner."

"How long till he retires? I'd like to play with him before then," he said.

"Not too long from now," she said. "You know, I never got on well with him for so many years, but then that business with Rika happened, and we became great friends. I'm going to miss him a lot."

"Yeah..." he said. "He's a good man. Like, when he arrested Satoko's uncle---"

"Her uncle was arrested?" she asked.

Keiichi stopped. He seemed to ponder something for a second. "Er, forget I said anything," he said.

_Another one of your strange memories?_ she wondered. _Is that what's been bothering you?_

"Anyway, I'd like to have a game with him," he continued. "I've never really played Mahjong before."

"Alright," she said. "We'll have play it for the club, if we're ever short one person. I can teach you then."

"Thanks, Mion," he said, smiling. "You really are a great friend... it's going to be so weird from now on."

"Huh? Why?" she said.

He grinned. "I'll tell you tomorrow. Everything is going to change then."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, completely confused.

"Tomorrow," he said. "You'll know then, right when it happens."

He had a great big smile on his face. Mion just gave him a confused look.

------------------------------

That night, Keiichi slept on a futon in Mion's room. He thought he was going to sleep somewhere else, but when she pulled the futon out of her closet, he didn't object. She was snoring lightly in her bed, and he was thinking to himself as he tried to rest.

_Tomorrow... our relationship is going to change,_ he reminded himself. _Mion... I'll tell you everything then. I was worried before, but now, I can't wait._

He closed his eyes, a smile on his face.


	9. Chapter 9

Note: I do not own any of the characters within this story. They are the property of _07__th__ Expansion_.

So, er, I got this PM with someone realising I was a guy. Er, just as warning, I am in fact a male. I didn't think I'd ever have to explain this, but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. Or something.

Also, BEHOLD THE GLORY OF SATOKO'S TRAPS: http://uk. NINE

Keiichi's loud snoring woke up Mion in the middle of the night. She put pillows over here ears to drown out the noise, but it was ultimately a futile effort.

_Geez, Kei-chan,_ she thought angrily. _I didn't know you were such a noisy sleeper. I'm never going to get any sleep at this rate!_

Eventually, unable to take it anymore, she got up and fled her room. She dove into her grandmother's room, and took the futon out and spread it on the ground. Suddenly, she felt like taking revenge. Instead of heading back to sleep, she went out into another room, took a wooden chair, and carried it all the way back to her room. She put it over Keiichi's head, and left.

_Sweet dreams, Kei-chan,_ she thought deviously.

She headed back to her grandmother's room, and fell asleep on the futon.

------------------------------

Keiichi woke up, and started to sit up, when he hit his head on something. He fell back down onto the futon, cursing.

"GODDAMNIT!" he shouted. "God, ow, what the hell!?"

He opened his eyes, and tried to focus. After a moment, he saw there was a chair there. He took a moment to consider this, before it became clear.

"MION!" he shouted out. "What the HELL is with this goddamned chair?"

He slid out from under the chair and got up. Pissed, he walked towards the bed and pulled back to covers - only to see she wasn't there. Her going into hiding only fuelled his rage, and he started to search the house for her. He left her room, and looked up and down the halls, only to see her walking towards him, rubbing her eyes, her hair let down, still wearing her pyjamas.

"Geez, Kei-chan," she muttered. "Are you always so noisy in the morning?"

"Only when I'm PISSED," he said, shaking. "Geez, you're as bad as Satoko."

She yawned and stretched herself out before answering him. "I have no idea what you're talking... about..."

"I'm talking about that goddamned chair!" he shouted, clenching his fist. "I hit my damn head when I woke up!"

"Oh... oh," she said, rubbing her eye again. "Sorry about that. You were snoring, you kept me up."

"I don't snore!" he said.

"Yeah you do," she said, as she leaned up against a wall. "Really loudly too."

She yawned again. "I'm too tired for this, Kei-chan," she said. "I'm going back to sleep for a bit... could you... make me some breakfast... for... when I wake up..."

As her speech started to slow down, she slid down the wall and closed her eyes. Keiichi watched her for a few moments. She started to snore lightly. Keiichi sighed, then headed into her kitchen to make some food. He was unsure of what to make, so he just decided to see if she had any eggs. He liked making eggs, they were easy. Looking through her cupboards, he eventually found a box full of them. He took four of them, and took out a pan, and started to fry them. He took out a couple of plates, and put them on the counter next to the pan. He finished frying them, and made sure to put two eggs on each plate. Next, he started to brew some green tea, and brought everything out to the table.

"Oi! Mion!" he shouted into the hall. "Breakfast's ready!"

After a moment, she stumbled into the room, still looking tired as hell. She pulled up a chair, and sat down.

"...Eggs and tea...?" she mumbled. "That's odd..."

Keiichi rubbed the back of his head. "It's uh, the only thing I know how to make, haha."

"You made those biscuits..." she mumbled.

"That's not breakfast," he replied.

She looked at the plate in front of her for a moment. "Nothing to eat with... ...or dip it in..."

Keiichi groaned, and started to look around for some chopsticks and sauce. She took a sip of her tea while he searched. Eventually, he came back, with some chopsticks.

"Couldn't find anything to dip it in," he said. "Er... I'm not sure the way I made the eggs is suitable for that anyway..."

She looked down at the eggs in front of her, with their runny yolks. With a shrug, she started to eat. Keiichi sat back down and joined her.

"Uh, Mion," he said, mouth full. "What're we, gulp what're we doing today? I forgot."

"We're going to Okinomiya," she said. "Sis said she needed some help at Angel Mort."

"Angel Mort?" he said, suddenly terrified. "I'm not... going to have to wear the uniform, am I?"

Mion let an evil smile slowly creep up her face. "Who knows?" she said. "I don't have any idea... eh heh heh..."

Keiichi shuddered. "Uh-uh-uh... are we... going anywhere else?" he asked.

"Well, we could see my uncle at the toy shop, see if he has anything new," she said. "Uhmmm... there's this movie I want to see. You'd love it."

_Taking me out to see a movie, huh?_ he thought. _Heh, this will be interesting. Although... I'm still scared of Angel Mort. Shion has absolutely no mercy, whatsoever._

Keiichi took another sip of his tea, and looked at Mion.

"You know..." he said. "You look nice with your hair down."

Mion blushed, and looked away. "R-really? You, uh, think so?"

"Yeah, I do," he said, looking at her some more. "But... you like better with your hair up. It's more Mion."

"A-ah... thanks," she said, nervously. "I guess right now... I look more, uh, Shion."

"I don't think so," he said. "You may be identical, but Shion gives off a completely different vibe. You don't seem like Shion to me, you seem like Mion with her hair down."

Mion didn't say anything, and took another sip of her tea.

------------------------------

Keiichi and Mion headed back to his house to get his bicycle. Along the way, they talked about various different things, including talk about her games, his dad's job, their friends. However, the most interesting topic was---

"Tomitake-san," said Keiichi. "Do you know if he's coming to Hinamizawa next year?"

"Well, he came here two or three times a year," she said. "But I think he's heading the investigation for Takano."

"Hmmm... that's right, she went missing," he said. "So, you don't think he'll come back?"

"They might send someone else in his place," she sighed. "It just wouldn't be the same. He promised he was going to publish my picture in a private gallery, you know."

"Uhhh..." he said. "What?"

"You heard," she said with a smirk. "The Beauties of Hinamizawa, ahh, I would've loved to see that. It was always fun, having him come every year, and take pictures. It's a shame he wasn't there for the festival. You know, I was going to invite him into the club. As an honorary member."

"Haha, that would've been interesting," he said. "Maybe he could've helped you take down that bear."

"Sh-shut up!" she said. "No one could take down that bear!"

"I did," he said. "With his help."

"Eh?" she said, confused.

"Anyway, what do you think happened to Takano-san?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe she's hiding in Shishibone or something. Maybe she became an underground doctor, ahahaha. Helping criminals get medical attention without drawing the attention of the authorities."

"That's an interesting theory," he said. "I doubt it's true."

"If it is," she said. "We'll be able to find her in no time at all. Maybe we should send Kasai out, he's good at this kind of thing."

"Er, that reminds me," said Keiichi. "Forgive me if this is a personal question, but uh, have you ever... fired a gun?"

Mion was silent for a moment. "Yeah, a nine millimetre handgun. Kasai taught me how to use it. I didn't really like it though. I mean, it was cool and all, but... well, especially with what happened at Watanagashi..."

"Yeah, I understand," said Keiichi. "Forgive me for asking. I'm sorry, it was stupid."

Mion was silent for a little while more. "Kei-chan... you don't think my family is... _dangerous_, do you?"

"Dangerous?" asked Keiichi. "I don't think so. I mean, I've only met you, your sister, your grandmother, and your uncles. Apart from maybe Shion, none of them strike me as dangerous."

"They're my father's brothers," she said. "They wouldn't be."

"You know," he said. "This is probably a personal question, so don't answer it if you don't have to, but why don't you live with your parents?"

"Mom pissed off grandma," she said. "She got disinherited. That's why I'm the next in line to be head of the Sonozaki family. Because I'm next in line, I have to live with grandma. I still see Mom and Dad a lot, though, so it's not bad or anything."

"Hmmmm... I wonder what they would think of me?" Keiichi wondered out loud.

"Mom would like you, I think," she replied. "Dad's a little gruff, but he'd warm up to you. It's grandma I worry about. She doesn't really like city folk, you see."

"I can imagine why," he said. "What, with the dam incident and everything."

"Yeah," she said. "There's your house now."

"Alright, be right back," he said, running towards his house. "See you in a sec."

------------------------------

The bike ride to Okinomiya took them about an hour. When they got to town, they rode towards the toy shop, owned by Mion's uncle. She had at least three uncles that Keiichi knew about. One owned the toy shop. One owned Angel Mort. One owned this strange clothes shop, that sold school uniforms from many different schools in the country. Her father seemed to have a lot of brothers, but no sisters. Her mother on the other hand, was an only child, just like her mother, and all the previous Sonozaki heads before her. Mion was really the only exception, because she was a twin.

When they arrived at the shop, he saw her uncle standing out front.

"Hello there Mion!" he shouted, waving. "I see you're with your friend!"

"Heya uncle!" she shouted back, slowing to a stop in front of the store. "Got any cool new stuff?"

"Yeah, just got a lot of new stuff," he said. "Come inside, I'll show you. Also, Oishi-san stopped by. He wanted to invite you to another Mahjong round with his friends."

"Tell him I got a friend to send instead," she replied.

"H-hey Mion!" protested Keiichi. "I wanted to play with you."

"I thought you wanted to play with Oishi?" she said.

"I do, but uh, I wanted to play with you too," he replied.

"Hmmm, alright, tell Oishi I'm bringing a friend," she said.

"Will do," replied her uncle.

He opened the door to the shop, and let them in. Keiichi and Mion walked inside and headed to the pile of junk, with a sign above it that said 'new items'. He followed the two of them, and watched alongside Keiichi as Mion dug through the pile, looking for anything interesting. Eventually, she stopped, and held up a box.

"Hey hey! What's this?" she asked.

"It's this gambling game," he replied. "I can show you how to play."

"Mmmm, later," she said. "I've got a butt load of stuff to do today."

As she dug into the pile, her uncle leaned close to Keiichi.

"Hey," he whispered. "How's she treating that doll ya gave her?"

"Uh, fine," Keiichi replied. "She seems to like it a lot."

"Hehe, sorry about giving you such an unfitting gift," he said. "They weren't selling, so I had to lose them somehow."

"It's okay," replied Keiichi. "Though my masculinity was hurt, it turned out for the best in the end. She was really glad about it."

"That's good," he said. "You treat my niece good now, you hear?"

"Yeah yeah, I hear ya," replied Keiichi.

Mion held up another box, face alight with excitement.

------------------------------

Mion had a bag full of new stuff, which she was quite glad about. Another thing she was glad about was that she was going to make Keiichi wear an Angel Mort uniform for all to behold. They were stood inside the restaurant, waiting to be seated. Keiichi stood relaxed, while Mion was leaning up against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Sonozaki-san?" said the waitress. "Your table is ready, follow me please."

Mion uncrossed her arms and followed the waitress to a free table, Keiichi tagging along close behind. They sat down, and the waitress gave them a pair of menus before walking off.

"Man, all these cakes and stuff," muttered Keiichi. "There is no way eating here is good for you."

"Nope," said Mion, with a huge grin. "I'll be right back, gonna talk to Shion."

Mion got out of her seat and wandered off. Keiichi just sat there, looking at the menu, when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Wh-what? No, I have NOT had enough to eat!! I am not leaving!! I still need to have more sweet, beautiful desserts... oh... I HAVE NOT YET HAD MY FILL!! NOW BRING ME THAT CHEESE CAKE!!" shouted a young man behind him.

_Kameda,_ thought Keiichi. _That guy... hahaha._

He turned round and tapped Kameda on the shoulder. Surprised, he turned round.

"K---!!!" he shouted in excitement. "Fancy seeing you here!"

"Yep, I know," replied Keiichi. "How have you been? Haven't seen you in a while."

Keiichi mentally noted the guy seemed to be a bit chubbier than the last time he saw him.

"I've been gorging myself," he admitted. "What about you, K?"

"I've... uh," said Keiichi. "I'm on a date... I guess?"

"Ah, you lucky guy," said Kameda, with a huge smile on his face. "Dating one of the employees here? Which one is it? Otobe-san? Sonozaki-san? Tenma-san?"

Keiichi shook his head. "I'm not dating one of the employees. I don't know if you can even call this a date?" he said.

"Er, why did you drag her here?" asked Kameda. "Wouldn't she get jealous?"

"_She_ dragged _me_ here," replied Keiichi.

Beat.

"Sonozaki-san? You mean Shion?" he asked.

"Yeah," replied Kameda. "You know her?"

"She's uh, the sister of the person I'm here with," replied Keiichi. "I hope you haven't done anything bad to her."

"Sisters? Oh my, you really are lucky, K," said Kameda. "No, I'm not like that. Some of the other people that regular here however..."

As he trailed off, he looked towards the smoking seats. Over there he could see Shion, bringing out some cake, when one of the men tripped her up. The cake she was carrying out landed on the man's crotch. Something clicked in his mind. He had seen this before. Now he was going to make her wipe the mess off of him... unless he did something.

"YOU THERE!!" shouted Keiichi, as he stood up. "What the HELL do you think you're doing!?"

The greasy young man looked up at him. "C-c-comrade K!" he said. "I was just getting this awful waitress to clean this mess she made."

Keiichi stormed over to him.

"Don't give me that crap!" he shouted. "You tripped her up on purpose!!"

"She ruined my best jeans!" the man protested.

Keiichi looked at his jeans. He could see all kinds of stains in them, and they were riddled in holes.

"You ruined your own damn jeans, pal," he replied. "Now, apologise to Shion!"

"Hehehehehe... if she didn't want this, then why work here?" said the man. "She knows what kind of place this is."

"She shouldn't have to worry about crap like this!! Don't you know, BEAUTIFUL GIRLS ARE TO BE TREASURED!! This is not treasuring her. This is degrading, and humiliating her! You, you are the scum of this earth. Don't you know you're suppose to look after, and admire your treasures!? A GIRL IS JUST LIKE THE CHEST OF GOLD A PIRATE SHIP HAS!! The pirate captain keeps all of his loot in a box!! PIRATE TREASURE IS A GIFT HE LOOKS AT, BUT NEVER TOUCHES!! **THESE GIRLS ARE PRECIOUS TREASURES, YOU ARE SCRATCHING THEM, RUINING THEIR QUALITY!!!** What you have done is unforgivable. You don't deserve these treasures. GET OUT OF HERE NOW BEFORE I KICK YOUR ASS!!!" ranted Keiichi.

"I-I-I-I-I'm so sorry, K-sama!" said the man, as he bowed before him. "I didn't know! I'm leaving I'm leaving!"

As the man left, Keiichi knelt down to help Shion.

"Consider this thanks for helping me figure out the truth about Mion," he said.

Shion smiled. "You know, I'm used to this sort of thing," she said.

"Er, I'm here with Mion now," he said. "I don't know where she got off to, but uh, I'm supposed to lend a helping hand around here."

Shion considered this for a moment, with a finger on her chin. "I think you've already helped," she said.

"That's a relief," he said. "I wonder where Mion went off to?"

------------------------------

Mion sighed as she waited outside for Angel Mort. She had ticked off a waitress who wouldn't let her go into the staff only area to see Shion. She assumed the girl was new and didn't know who she was, as usually, they never cared about stuff like this in the past. The waitress had gotten so angry she forced Mion to leave, and kept eyeing her to see if she was going to try to get back inside. Her only hope would be that Keiichi would notice she was outside, but she didn't know how likely that was.

She looked in the window, and saw Keiichi had ordered two drinks. He was sipping him all by himself, while the other sat by itself. She groaned and starting pacing back and forth.

"Sis!" came a voice.

Mion turned round and saw Shion coming outside the door.

"Sis, Kei-chan's waiting for you," said Shion. "What're you doing out here?"

"One of the damn girls in there kicked me out," she said. "Tch. Cause I was trying to find you."

"Well, I'm here now, come inside," replied Shion.

"Alright," said Mion, as she walked to the door. "Tell that damn girl to leave me alone."

------------------------------

"Oi! Mion! Where were you!?" asked Keiichi angrily. "I ordered you a strawberry milkshake. Tch."

"Oh, uh, thanks," said Mion, as she sat down. "It's a long story. Short version - Angel Mort needs to raise it's hiring standards."

"Now that's unfair," protested Shion. "Kuranari-san was only doing what she thought was her job."

"Yeah, whatever," said Mion. "Anyway, get us an ultra rare cheesecake."

"I'm uh, not the one serving you," said Shion.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," said Mion. "I brought Kei-chan here to give a helping hand around here."

"And a splendid job he did," said Shion. "I appreciate the help. But his job is done."

"Eh? What did he do?" asked Mion.

"Well, he instilled some manners in one of the regulars here," said Shion. "And it was certainly something to see."

"Yeah, well, you know," said Keiichi, as he picked his ear. "Just doing what's right. No biggie."

"Alright, have fun you two," said Shion, as she left to serve another table.

Mion shrugged, and sipped some of her milkshake.

"Mion," said Keiichi. "You know how I said everything was going to change today?"

"Ah, er yeah," she replied. "What did you mean by that?"

"You'll see later today," he said.

"Tch. This better not be something stupid, Kei-chan," she replied.

------------------------------

The two of them were sharing the cheesecake. They had already eaten most of it, there was just a little left, and the strawberry that came with it. Keiichi took his fork, turned it sideways, and pressed down on the strawberry, cutting it in half. He then picked it up with his fork, and ate it. Mion ate the other half, and then finished off her milkshake.

"Mion," he said, folding his arms on the table.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"When is that move?" he asked.

"Probably a few hours, we have some time to kill," she said.

"What movie is it?" he asked.

"Ah, I'm glad you asked," she said, clearing her throat. "It's a science fiction epic, about these people who are enslaved by this alien race, and they have to fight back using the power of humanity!!"

"Sounds cheesy," said Keiichi.

"It probably is," she said. "I still want to see it."

Keiichi took another sip of his milkshake. "Say, Mion," he said. "Why don't we invite Shion to come play Mahjong with your uncle?"

"Hmmmm... I'm not sure if she'd like it," she replied.

"You never know," said Keiichi. "Heh, I just want to make sure I'm not going to get my ass handed to me when we play Oishi-san later."

"Alright," said Mion. "Shion's shift should end in about half an hour. We can play until it's time for the movie."

"Heheh, this should be good," said Keiichi. "It'll be good to have someone else new playing with me too."

Mion finished off the cheesecake, and Keiichi finished his milkshake. They both got up, and walked over to where Shion was serving some customers.


End file.
